Nigel Rees - A Word In Your Shell-Like стр 13.

alls fair in love, war and The basic proverb here is All is fair in love and war, which CODP finds in the form Love and war are all one by 1620 and as well established by the 19th century. But nowadays the extended form to include almost anything that the speaker might wish, most frequently politics is more common. In 1982, Leonard Miall concluded a BBC radio talk (Byways in a Broadcasting Career) with: I suppose that alls fair in love, war and party politicals [i.e. broadcasts]. Michael Foot MP was quoted in 1986 as having said, I had better recall before someone else does, that I said on one occasion that all was fair in love, war and parliamentary procedure. The Shadow Chancellor, Mr John Smithsaid he did not expect to receive any special favours from his political opponents. All is fair in love, war and parliamentary politics, he added The Guardian (23 January 1989).

all-singing, all-dancing The worlds of computing and finance have both taken to using a phrase whose origins are pure Hollywood. For once, it is possible to be very precise about the source of a piece of popular phraseology. First, the computing use. From a report in The Guardian (3 October 1984) about a new police computer called Holmes: Sir Lawrence Byford is proud that Britain got there first. Holmes, he claims, is unique. It should provide our detectives with unrivalled facilities when dealing with crimes such as homicides and serious sexual offencesits the all-singing all-dancing act. The only thing it cant do, it seems, is play the violin. And from a special report on computers in the same paper (24 June 1985): Im knocking these present notes together on the word-processor incorporated into Jazz, the all-singing, all-dancing integrated package from the Lotus Development Corporation. Partridge/Catch Phrases dates the start of the computing use to about 1970. The phrase is used every bit as much when writing about financial packages. From a special report in The Times (8 November 1985): The Citys financial institutions have been busily preparing themselves for the changes. Many of the large stockbroking firms have forged links with banks: conceding their independence but benefiting from the massive capital injection which many believe will be necessary to cope with the new look all-singing-and-dancing exchange. The meaning is reasonably clear. What you should anticipate getting in each sphere is a multipurpose something or other, with every possible feature, that may or may not perform well. A dictionary of jargon (1984) goes so far as to give the general business

meaning as super-glamorised, gimmicky, flashy, when referring to a version of any stock product. As such, the phrase has been used in many other fields as well not least in show business. The source? In 1929, when sound came to the movies, the very first Hollywood musical, MGMs Broadway Melody, was promoted with posters bearing the slogan: The New Wonder of the Screen! / ALL TALKING / ALL SINGING / ALL DANCING / Dramatic Sensation. Oddly enough, in that same year, two rival studios both hit on the same selling pitch. Alice White in Broadway Babes (using Warners Vitaphone system) was 100% TALKING, SINGING, DANCING. And Radio Pictures Rio Rita (with Bebe Daniels) was billed as ZIEGFELDS FABULOUS ALL-TALKING, ALL-SINGING SUPER SCREEN SPECTACLE. It was natural that the studios should wish to promote the most obvious aspect of the new sound cinema but it is curious that they should all have used much the same phrase.

all Sir Garnet Meaning all correct, this phrase alludes to Sir Garnet Wolseley (18331913), a soldier noted for his organizational powers, who led several successful military expeditions 18525 and helped improve the lot of the Other Ranks. The expression was known by 1894. Wolseley is also celebrated as The Modern Major-General in Gilbert and Sullivans Pirates of Penzance (1879). From the same source, Sir Garnet is the name of a boat in Coot Club, the novel (1934) by Arthur Ransome.

all sorts Street Talk (1986) defines this as all sorts of people, things or activities. Often said pejoratively of people, as in, You get all sorts in a neighbourhood like that. The proverb It takes all sorts to make a world was known by 1620. There may also be a modern allusion to Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts, the brand of confectionery that comes in many different colours and shapes.

alls well that ends well The Reverend Francis Kilverts diary entry for 1 January 1878 noted: The hind axle broke and they thought they would have to spend the night on the roadAlls well that ends well and they arrived safe and sound. Is the allusion to the title of Shakespeares play Alls Well That Ends Well (circa 1603) or to something else? In fact, it was a proverbial expression before Shakespeare used it. CODP finds If the ende be wele, than is alle wele in 1381, and points to the earlier form Wel is him that wel ende mai. See also under WAR AND PEACE.

all systems go! In a state of readiness to begin an enterprise. From the US space programme of the 1960s.