all to pieces
Preserved but no longer current.
Utterly, excessively; "he beat him ALL TO PIECES," i.e., excelled or surpassed him exceedingly. Also a term much in use among sporting men and expressing want of form, or decadence. A boat’s crew are said to "go ALL TO PIECES" when they through distress lose their regularity. A woman is vulgarly said to "fall to pieces," or "tumble to pieces," when she is confined.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “all to pieces” mean?
Utterly, excessively; "he beat him ALL TO PIECES," i.e., excelled or surpassed him exceedingly. Also a term much in use among sporting men and expressing want of form, or decadence. A boat’s crew are said to "go ALL TO PIECES" when they through distress lose their regularity. A woman is vulgarly said to "fall to pieces," or "tumble to pieces," when she is confined.
Is “all to pieces” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.