to say it all
37
4.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
decirlo todo
- Your face says it all.
- smile says it all
- eyes say it all
- face says it all
Well, we've pretty much said it all, Papa John.
- Well, we've pretty much said it all, Papa John.
- So that's all I read, because that says it all already.
- So I guess I guess that sort of says it all right.
- The fact that they lost count says it all really.
- OK, so that says it all, education or progressive thinking.
- I don't know, I'm afraid I I think I've said it all.
- That really puts the capstone on this discussion that says it all.
- The X Factor says it all, says it all.
- As for the gamers, well, the lack of G force in the branding says it all.
- I mean you just, you know that I've said it all man.
Examples
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You say it all the time.
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We say it all without a sound
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I think the coach said it all.
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That about says it all.
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A smile remains on his lips, but his eyes say it all.
Fiction book (2002) -
The look on his face said it all: he did not find them a blessing.
Blog text (12) -
"I asked him, "Isn't that so?" His look said it all.
Fiction book (1991) -
Harry doesn't need to answer; his face says it all.
Fiction book (2002) -
Indeed, the title of his book, History vs. Apologetics, says it all.
Academic text (2011) -
The way she looked at him says it all about how she feels.
Synonyms
46
3.9
To choose words to say something clearly
31
5.7
To show a lot without using words
Not speaking to show your feelings or thoughts
How Complete
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to express everything necessary' is directly compositional from 'say' (to convey) + 'it' (the thing/meaning) + 'all' (everything), so a learner who knows the parts can infer 'say it all' = 'say everything' including nonverbal expression. This follows a common cross-linguistic pattern of verb + object meaning and thus should be immediately understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The phrase say it all comes from the simple image that one look, a silence, or a small action can say all, giving the whole message. So, it means 'to express everything needed, often without using words'.