English

Alternative forms

• an all

Phrase

and all

1. (idiomatic) Including every object, attribute, or process associated with preceding item or series of items.

   He ate the whole fish, bones and all.

   • 1995 August 21, “Pros and Cons of the Balanced Budget Amendment”, in Ind_Limbaugh:

     Now proper French tradition requires that when you eat the ortolan, you drape a napkin over your head and consume the bird in one bite, beak, bones and all.

   • 1998 May 15, Barry Bearak, “Hailing Danger; Behind the Wheel: Long Hours and Hard Feelings”, in New York Times:

     The facts of the accident, however, are too ambiguous to reek of malice or recklessness. And the drivers involved, flaws and all, are hardly demons.

   • 2008 September 16, Ken Hoffman, “An oak tree is no longer mighty”, in Houston Chronicle, page STAR 1:

     We had six large trees ripped from the ground, roots and all. A firefighter told me that the wind hit 110 mph in West U.

2. (idiomatic, informal) Used to suggest certain unstated relevant implications or what has been stated.

   What with you saying he was sick and all, I figured neither of you were coming.

3. (Northern England, Scotland) Used to add emphasis.

   He starts yelling and we come running to help, but a fat load of thanks we get and all!

4. (Northern England, Scotland) as well

Usage notes

• Can terminate lists of one or more nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs.
• Senses 3 and 4 used mainly in Scotland, compare an a'.

Derived terms

• one and all
• still and all
• warts and all

Translations