Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

21 PHRASE In all means in total. □  There was evidence that thirteen people in all had taken part in planning the murder.

22 PHRASE If something such as an activity is a particular price all in , that price includes everything that is offered. [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL ] □  Dinner is about £25 all in.

23 PHRASE You use of all to emphasize the words 'first' or 'last', or a superlative adjective or adverb. [EMPHASIS ] □  First of all, answer these questions. □  Now she faces her toughest task of all.

24 PHRASE You use of all in expressions such as of all people or of all things when you want to emphasize someone or something surprising. [EMPHASIS ] □  They met and fell in love in a supermarket, of all places.

25 PHRASE You use all in expressions like of all the cheek or of all the luck to emphasize how angry or surprised you are at what someone else has done or said. [FEELINGS ] □  Of all the lazy, indifferent, unbusinesslike attitudes to have!

26 PHRASE You use all of before a number to emphasize how small or large an amount is. [EMPHASIS ] □  It took him all of 41 minutes to score his first goal.

27 PHRASE You use all that in statements with negative meaning when you want to weaken the force of what you are saying. [SPOKEN , VAGUENESS ] □  He wasn't all that much older than we were.

28 PHRASE You can say that's all at the end of a sentence when you are explaining something and want to emphasize that nothing more happens or is the case. □  'Why do you want to know that?' he demanded.—'Just curious, that's all.'

29 PHRASE You use all very well to suggest that you do not really approve of something or you think that it is unreasonable. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  It is all very well adding garlic, but if it has been overcooked, its benefits are largely destroyed. USAGE after all

Don’t use ‘after all’ when you want to introduce a final point, question, or topic. Instead you use finally or lastly . □  Finally I want to thank you all for coming.

all- /ɔː l-/

1 COMB [usu ADJ n] All- is added to nouns or adjectives in order to form adjectives which describe something as consisting only of the thing mentioned or as having only the quality indicated. □  …an all-star cast. □  …all-cotton sheeting.

2 COMB [usu ADJ n] All- is added to present participles or adjectives in order to form adjectives which describe something as including or affecting everything or everyone. □  Nursing a demented person is an all-consuming task.

3 COMB [usu ADJ n] All- is added to nouns in order to form adjectives which describe something as being suitable for or including all types of a particular thing. □  He wanted to form an all-party government of national unity.

Allah /æ lə, æ lɑː/ N‑PROPER Allah is the name of God in Islam.

a ll-Ame rican ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone as an all-American boy or girl, you mean that they seem to have all the typical qualities that are valued by ordinary Americans, such as good looks and love of their country.

a ll-arou nd → see all-round

al|lay /əle I / (allays , allaying , allayed ) VERB If you allay someone's fears or doubts, you stop them feeling afraid or doubtful. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] He did what he could to allay his wife's fears.

a ll clea r

1 N‑SING The all clear is a signal that a dangerous situation, for example an air raid, has ended. □  The all clear was sounded about 10 minutes after the alert was given. ● CONVENTION All clear is also a convention. □  'All clear,' Misha growled.

2 N‑SING If someone in authority gives you the all clear , they give you permission to continue with a plan or activity, usually after a problem has been sorted out. □  I was given the all clear by the doctor to resume playing.