all or nothing
Meaning: With no middle way; everything is risked on one outcome.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “For a small team, the cup final is all or nothing.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A plain statement of the two extremes, common in English from the 19th century and familiar from gambling and sport.
Equivalents in other languages
- Russian: пан или пропал (pan ili propal) — literally: lord or lost
More idioms — Daily Life
- an accident waiting to happen — Someone or something very likely to cause trouble or harm.
- on a wing and a prayer — Only just managing, with luck rather than means.
- welcome to the club — Said to someone who has just joined you in a shared situation, usually an unwelcome one.
- tell me another one — Said to someone whose story is obviously untrue.
- go off the rails — To lose control of one's life or behavior.
- there's nothing for it — There is no other choice.
More English idioms
- until one is blue in the face — For as long as one likes, with no result.
- on the back of an envelope — Roughly worked out, without proper tools or care.
- a scapegoat — Someone blamed for others' faults.
- truth be told — To be honest about it.
- for the life of me — However hard I try.
- kick the can down the road — To put off dealing with a problem, leaving it for later.