Like all get-out

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Meaning

To an extreme or remarkable degree. Regional, informal, and somewhat old-fashioned Regional use: United States, now especially associated with Southern and Appalachian speech.

Origin

A colloquial intensifier found in American regional writing by the mid-19th century. Forms without all, such as as get-out, are recorded earlier, while Mark Twain used like all git-out in 1884. Merriam-Webster dates all get-out to 1849, and DARE evidence places related forms in the 1830s and 1840s. How get-out acquired the sense of an utmost degree is not satisfactorily explained.

Variants

  • as all get-out
  • than all get-out
  • all git-out
  • as get-out

Usage Examples

  • The attic was dusty as all get-out, but the old maps were intact.
  • Once the gate opened, those children ran like all get-out.

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