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

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

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2026

"My thought process is if anything goes wrong, or it doesn't arrive in time, I've got time to buy new clothes."

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

The moment anything goes wrong, the doomsaying around the club reaches frenetic levels rarely seen outside the New York Mets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

It gives permission not for anything goes but for anything goes together if you can find the right context.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 10, 2025

If anything goes wrong with it, there's a short-term spare I can use.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir