be-all and end-all
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be all and end all
or be-all and end-all (bē′ôl′ ənd ĕnd′ôl′)n.
The quintessential or all-important element: "Not that the more spectacular athleticism is the be all and end all of free skating. Spins ... and intricate step sequences are also important" (Howard Bass).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
be-all and end-all
n
1. the ultimate aim or justification: to provide help for others is the be-all and end-all of this group.
2. often jocular a person or thing considered to be beyond improvement
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
be′-all` and end′-all`
n.
the ultimate object.
[1595–1605]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | be-all and end-all - the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim; "profit is the be-all and end-all of business" component, element, factor, ingredient, constituent - an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech" |
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be-all and end-all
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
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