IdiomDaily Life
English
Englishall at once
Meaning: Suddenly, with no warning.
Example: “All at once the music stopped and the lights came on.”
Origin: "At once" has meant both immediately and simultaneously since Middle English; "all at once" keeps the sudden sense.
More English idioms
- drag one's feet To delay deliberately.
- be tone-deaf To be unable to tell musical notes apart; also, to have no sense of how others feel.
- throw dust in someone's eyes To mislead someone by distracting them.
- when pigs fly Never.
- lead someone up the garden path To deceive someone, keeping them hopeful along the way.
- packed like sardines Crowded very tightly together.
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