all present and accounted for
All members or items of a group are here or their whereabouts are known, as in Is everyone ready to board the bus?—All present and accounted for. This expression almost certainly originated in the armed forces as a response to roll call. By proper logic, the and should be or. Nevertheless, the expression is used colloquially to offer assurance that no person or thing is missing.
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Nearby words
- all over,
- all over but the shouting,
- all over one,
- all over the place,
- all over with,
- all quiet on the western front,
- all right,
- all right for you,
- all right with one,
- all roads lead to rome
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.