save-all

[ seyv-awl ]

/ ˈseɪvˌɔl /

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noun

a means, contrivance, or receptacle for preventing loss or waste.

Older Use. overalls (def. 3).

Nautical.

a net secured between a pier and a ship, beneath cargo being transferred from one to the other.
a sail for utilizing wind spilled from the regular sails of a vessel: used in very light winds.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of save-all

First recorded in 1635–45; noun use of verb phrase save all

Words nearby save-all

savanna monkey, savant, savarin, savate, save, save-all, save as you earn, saved by the bell, save face, save for a rainy day, saveloy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use save-all in a sentence

Under every lamp stands a sort of “save-all,” consisting of a small skin basket for catching the oil that falls over.
Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage|William Edward Parry
For this reason the trough into which it falls from the revolving "wire" is called the "save-all."
A Book of Exposition|Homer Heath Nugent
Into this save-all water may be admitted to regulate the consistency of the stuff.
From Paper-mill to Pressroom|William Bond Wheelwright
The business of the dairy, like the feeding of hogs and poultry, is originally carried on as a save-all.
An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations|Adam Smith

Another curious illuminating appurtenance was called a save-all or candle-wedge.
Customs and Fashions in Old New England|Alice Morse Earle

British Dictionary definitions for save-all

save-all

noun

a device to prevent waste or loss

nautical

a net used while loading a ship
a light sail set to catch wind spilling from another sail

dialect overalls or a pinafore

British a dialect word for miser 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012