Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the compound all-in—(attrib.) inclusive of everything:
Category: Confusing Phrases
All hands and the cook vs All the world and his wife
All the world and his wife—(also: every man and his dog ) lots of people; everyone of importance.
All fur coat and no knickers vs All hat and no cattle
All fur coat and no knickers—(UK derog.) said of a person or thing having an impressive appearance with no real substance beneath.
All eyes vs All my eye
All my eye—(UK sl.) utter nonsense (also: all my eye and Betty Martin).
All dressed up vs Dressed up
All dressed up—dressed formally; dressed in one’s best clothes.
All day and every day vs All the days of one’s life
All day and every day—during the whole of one day and for a number of days afterwards.
All but vs Anything but
All but—almost; nearly.
All at once vs At once
All at once—suddenly and abruptly.
Difference between All along and All along the line
All along—all the time. Her employer said he had suspected the girl of pilfering all along. All along the line—at every point in the course of an activity. These newer family magazines are making the older ones fight for existence all along the line.
Alive to vs Alive with
Alive to something—aware of something; conscious of something.
Alien from vs Alien to
Alien from something—differing in nature or character from something.
Air letter vs Airmail letter
Air letter—(also: aerogramme) a sheet of light paper forming a letter for sending by airmail.