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

De Becker said he remains a guarantor of the business, meaning he’s on the hook if anything goes wrong.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

The era of anything goes in private-credit underwriting is coming to an end.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

And if anything goes wrong, he’ll happily take the fall.

From Salon ● Apr. 9, 2026

Because this alt comedy makes no bones about its characters or situations being even remotely logical or realistic, anything goes — and does.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

Mama will be in so much trouble if anything goes wrong.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan