addictive with knobs on
- idiom
- UK
:
extremadamente adictivo
- That television series is addictive with knobs on; I binged the entire season in two days.
Examples
-
The app is addictive with knobs on—I can't put my phone down since I started using it.
-
This new candy is addictive with knobs on, even more than the one we tried last year.
-
This game is addictive with knobs on!
-
I find social media addictive with knobs on.
-
That television series is addictive with knobs on; I binged the entire season in two days.
-
The app is addictive with knobs on—I can't put my phone down since I started using it.
-
This new candy is addictive with knobs on, even more than the one we tried last year.
Synonyms
140
4.2
Making people want to use something again and again
Antonyms
How Addictive
- UK
140
4.2
- NSFW
1
5.6
- Specialized
1
4.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
addictive + with + knobs + on
The phrase 'with knobs on' is a colloquial, chiefly British intensifier that does not compose transparently from the literal meanings of 'with', 'knobs', and 'on' — a learner who knows the individual words would likely interpret a physical description (something having knobs) rather than 'extremely' or 'far more' addictive. This idiomatic intensifying use is language-specific and not predictable from the constituents, so a B1 learner unfamiliar with the expression would not reliably derive its intended meaning.
Etymology
Addictive with knobs on paints a picture of a plain thing made stronger by adding shiny knobs; one popular story says 'with knobs on' became a playful way to mean 'even more' of a quality. So calling something addictive with knobs on means it is not just addictive but 'extremely' addictive.