a thousand and one reasons - Glite Dictionary

Examples

He could think of a thousand and one reasons not to attend the meeting.
She listed a thousand and one reasons why she deserved a vacation.
She gave me a thousand and one reasons to believe her.
There are a thousand and one reasons why we should reconsider.
He could think of a thousand and one reasons not to attend the meeting.
She listed a thousand and one reasons why she deserved a vacation.
There are a thousand and one reasons to learn a new language.

Synonyms

countless

vsa thousand and one reasons

245 2.5

There are so many that you cannot say how many

narrows that idea to numerous motives and possible justifications

innumerable

vsa thousand and one reasons

21 5.4

Too many to count

applies this countlessness specifically to many different motives or justifications

many

vsa thousand and one reasons

9 1.0

A large number of people or things you can count

implies a far greater, nearly uncountable number of motives or justifications

innumerous

vsa thousand and one reasons

9.6

So many that you cannot count them

focuses that idea on a wide set of motives or justifications

unnumberable

vsa thousand and one reasons

7.8

So many that you cannot count them

uses that sense specifically for many separate motives or justifications

litany of reasons

vsa thousand and one reasons

Informal

7.5

A long, often repeated list of reasons used to explain or complain

means many different motives rather than a simple list or complaint

How Numerous

a thousand and one reasons

Informal

3.4

reason

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

a thousand and one reasons singular

thousands and one reasons plural

Morphology

a + thousand + and + one + reason

The noun phrase literally combines a large numeral ('a thousand and one') with 'reasons', so the meaning 'a very large number of reasons' is directly inferable from the constituents. The hyperbolic use of 'a thousand and one' to mean 'countless/many' is transparent and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words would readily understand it.

Etymology

A thousand and one reasons may come from an old book of many stories called 'One Thousand and One Nights', which promises a huge number of tales. The image of 'a thousand and one' meaning an endless amount is why people use the phrase to mean 'very many different reasons' today.