inside and out
33
3.5
- idiom
- Informal
:
a fondo
- All their homes are equally unique and interesting, inside and out.
- know inside and out
I said you're a beautiful woman inside and out.
- I said you're a beautiful woman inside and out.
- So the JSOC guy, full respect for yes, he knows his stuff inside and out.
- Knowledge is power and it's really important to know your cycle inside and out.
- It's definitely by somebody who knows Seneca's work inside and out.
- We don't say that you don't have any knowledge whatsoever if you don't know the text inside and out.
- You know, whether it's wallets, whether it's shoes, whether it's hats, like research this category inside and out, try things on, walk around in the shoes.
- A guy who isn't afraid to speak his mind and knows the sport inside and out, but more importantly is super passionate about it and loves it.
- We've actually been covered inside and out with these bacteria for so many millions of years that we've learned to use them as part of our immune system.
- So you need to understand the mass spring dashpot behavior inside and out.
- OK but if you do want to feel better inside and out then maybe you should try better help.
- Narcissists get to stay in place because they are enabled inside and out now.
Examples
-
She knows the history of the town inside and out, having lived there her entire life.
-
Look, we know the place inside and out.
-
I know this bank inside and out.
-
Someone who knows this business inside and out.
-
You know me inside and out.
-
It's because you're beautiful, inside and out.
-
He knows these woods inside and out.
-
By the time you've repainted the whole place inside and out, it's time to start over again.
Fiction book (1993) -
Before the exam, he studied the material inside and out to ensure he was well-prepared.
-
The engineer understands the machine inside and out, which helps her troubleshoot issues quickly.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Totally, in every way
259
3.5
To do something completely and carefully
131
1.7
Completely, with nothing missing
23
3.5
Completely in every part
21
3.2
To do something completely by checking every part
13
3.7
Completely and in every detail
7
3.7
Completely and without doubt
6
6.7
In a way that includes every part and leaves nothing out
Antonyms
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'thoroughly, in every detail' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'inside' and 'out' (i.e. both interior and exterior aspects), so a learner who knows the constituent words can infer that something is known or examined completely. This compositional logic (covering all sides) is cross-linguistically common, making the phrase predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Inside and out comes from the simple idea of checking something both inside and out, like looking at a car from the outside and then opening every door to see the inside. So, if you know something inside and out, you know it 'in every detail'.