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all mouth and no trousers

Someone who talks a lot but does little

English Idiom Candidate

all mouth and trousers

Someone who talks a lot but does little

English Idiom Candidate

A remark of incredulity made in reference to an improbable story; condensation of "ALL MY EYE AND BETTY MARTIN," a vulgar phrase constructed from the commencement of a Roman Catholic prayer to St. Martin, "Oh, mihi, beate Martine," which in common with many another fell into discredit and ridicule after the Reformation.

English Idiom Historical

All my eye and Betty Martin

All nonsense, bosh, rubbish. The origin of this curious phrase cannot now be discovered. The Betty Martin is a later addition; "All my eye" is the old saying, as Goldsmith makes the Bailiff say in the Good-natured Man (iii) : "That's all my eye, the king only can pardon, as the law says." In his Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1785), Grose gives: "That's my eye, Betty Martin.

English Idiom Historical

all nations

A composition of all the different spirits sold in a dram-shop, collected in a vessel into which the drainings of the bottles and quartern pots are emptied.

English Idiom Historical

all night

for the entire night

English Word pair Candidate

all of a heap

Completely disorganized or confused

English Idiom Candidate

all of a hugh!

All on one side; falling with a thump; the word HUGH being pronounced with a grunt.—Suffolk.

English Idiom Historical

all one's born days

for as long as one has lived

English Idiom Candidate

all one's life's worth

something that is very valuable or important

English Idiom Candidate

all one's taste is in one's mouth

Someone's priorities or values are misguided

English Idiom Candidate

all or nothing

completely or not at all

English Word pair Candidate

all out

using all available resources or effort

English Idiom Candidate

all out

By far;—"he was ALL OUT the best of the lot." Old—frequently used by Burton in his Anatomy of Melancholy.

English Idiom Historical

all over

everywhere or in all parts

English Idiom Candidate

all over bar the shouting

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

English Idiom Candidate

all over but the shouting

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

English Idiom Candidate

all over hell's half acre

Scattered or dispersed over a large area

English Idiom Candidate

all over oneself

Extremely eager or enthusiastic, often in a way that is embarrassing or excessive

English Idiom Candidate

all over the board

Completely disorganized or inconsistent

English Idiom Candidate

all over the map

Completely disorganized or inconsistent

English Idiom Candidate

all over the shop

Scattered in every direc- tion, all over the place ; or pursuing an erratic course.

English Idiom Historical

all over the world

Everywhere on the planet

English Idiom Candidate

all over with

completely finished or ended

English Idiom Candidate

all points of the compass

Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.

English Idiom Candidate

All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies. (John Arbuthnot)

Political parties ultimately fail due to their own deceit

English Proverb Candidate

all rights reserved

Copyright is enforced and no part can be used without permission

English Idiom Candidate

All rising to great place is by a winding stair. (Francis Bacon)

English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.

English Proverb Candidate

All roads lead to Rome

All paths or methods lead to the same goal

English Proverb Candidate

all set

Completely prepared or ready to go

English Idiom Candidate

All Sir Garnet

During the 80s of the last century, when Sir Garnet Wolseley was winning his victories in Egypt, the Army phrase "All Sir Garnet" came into common usage, indicating that all was going well, everything was as it should be.

English Idiom Historical

all sixes and nines

Completely confused or disorganized

English Idiom Candidate

all sizzle and no steak

Impressive appearance but lacking substance

English Idiom Candidate

All Souls' Day

November 2nd, so called because Catholics on that day seek by prayer and almsgiving to alleviate the sufferings of souls in purgatory. It was instituted in the monastery of Cluny in 993.

English Idiom Historical

all standing

A nautical expression mean- ing to be completely equipped. To turn in all standing is to retire while still fully dressed.

English Idiom Historical

all systems go

Everything is ready and in place to proceed

English Idiom Candidate

all talk and no cider

Someone who promises much but delivers little

English Idiom Candidate

all tarred with the same brush

All alike to blame; all sheep of the same flock. The allusion is to the custom of distinguishing the sheep of any given flock by a common mark with a brush dipped in tar.

English Idiom Historical

all that

everything that exists or is relevant

English Idiom Candidate

All that glisters is not gold. or All that glitters is not gold

Not everything that appears valuable or attractive is genuinely so

English Proverb Candidate

all that jazz

and all the other related things

English Idiom Candidate

all the gear and no idea

Having all the necessary equipment or resources but lacking the knowledge or skill to use them effectively

English Idiom Candidate

all the marbles

to have complete control or possession

English Idiom Candidate

all the more

Common English phrase; full definition pending editorial review.

English Word pair Candidate

all the rage

Very popular or fashionable at a particular time

English Idiom Candidate

all the same

exactly equal or identical in nature

English Idiom Candidate

All the Talents

This is the name given to the administration formed by Lord Grenville in 1806 on the death 9f William Pitt. It was an attempt at a coalition of Tories, moderate Whigs and extreme Whigs, and included Charles James Fox as Foreign Secretary. It accomplished nothing spectacular, however, though one great measure will always stand to its credit — the abolition of the slave trade. The Government was dissolved in 1807.

English Idiom Historical

Browse all entries 2428

all mouth and no trousers

all mouth and trousers

all my eye

All my eye and Betty Martin

all nations

all night

all of a heap

all of a hugh!

all one's born days

all one's life's worth

all one's taste is in one's mouth

all or nothing

all out

all out

all over

all over bar the shouting

all over but the shouting

all over hell's half acre

all over oneself

all over the board

all over the map

all over the shop

all over the world

all over with

all points of the compass

All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies. (John Arbuthnot)

all rights reserved

All rising to great place is by a winding stair. (Francis Bacon)

All roads lead to Rome

all set

All Sir Garnet

all sixes and nines

all sizzle and no steak

All Souls' Day

all standing

all systems go

all talk and no cider

all tarred with the same brush

all that

All that glisters is not gold. or All that glitters is not gold

all that jazz

all the gear and no idea

all the marbles

all the more

all the rage

all the same

All the Talents

all the tea in China

all the time

all the way

all the way to Egery and back

All the wealth I had ran in my veins; I was a gentleman. (William Shakespeare)

all the while

all the world loves a lover

all there

All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God. (Sir Thomas Browne]]

all things are soon prepared in a well ordered house

all things come to those who wait

all things considered

All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare (Spinoza)