anything goes

Idioms  

1. Everything is permitted, as in You're wearing sneakers to the office?—Why not? Anything goes these days. This idiom began life as everything goes, which appeared in George Meredith's novel The Egoist (1879). In America anything was the preferred word, which gained further currency with Cole Porter's use of the term as the title of his 1934 song and musical comedy, Anything Goes!

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

anything goes

Herbert is robotic with the media, particularly after games, and is quick to blame himself when anything goes wrong.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

“Any time anything goes wrong at all, the system completely fails,” Finn said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

If anything goes badly wrong, what recourse do I have against the fund manager—and where?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

"Everybody's a bit itchy on the first day, but, as my father pointed out, if anything goes wrong, you can always walk wherever you were going quicker!"

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

“Do what you must, then. But keep an eye on those children, Miss Lumley. And if anything goes amiss, remember...you can always bring ’em to the vet.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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