all present and accounted for

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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.

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby all present and accounted for

allozyme, all-pass, all-points bulletin, Allport, all-powerful, all present and accounted for, all-purpose, All Quiet on the Western Front, all right, all right for you, all right with one

Example sentences from the Web for all present and accounted for

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
In his view, a writer has only one duty: to be present in his books.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But along with the cartoon funk is an all-too-real story of police brutality embodied by a horde of evil Pigs.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

The benefits of incumbency are quite potent, especially in the all-important area of raising campaign funds.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But Mrs. Dodd, the present vicar's wife, retained the precious prerogative of choosing the book to be read at the monthly Dorcas.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The Rev. Alonzo Barnard, seventy-one years of age, accompanied by his daughter, was present.
Among the Sioux|R. J. Creswell
Several pioneers familiar with the facts of the tragedy at the time of its occurrence were also present.
Among the Sioux|R. J. Creswell
The manifest annoyance of her household was thus easily accounted for, but he marveled at the strength of her bodyguard.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Bacteria, when present in great numbers, give a uniform cloud which cannot be removed by ordinary filtration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd

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