all over but the shouting
Inevitable at this point, as of an outcome. (Said especially of sporting events.) With that last goal, it's all over but the shouting at this point. George is going to get the promotion, I can just feel it. It's all over but the shouting. A: "Come on, it's all over but the shouting." B: "No way! We still have one game left to play, and if we win and the Rangers lose, we still make the playoffs!"
it's all over but the shouting
Something is inevitable at this point, as of an outcome. (Said especially of sporting events.) With that last goal, it's all over but the shouting at this point.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
It's all over but the shouting.
Fig. Cliché It is decided and concluded.; It is essentially decided and finished. (Meaning that though there may be more to some process, the outcome is clear. An elaboration of all over, which means "finished.") The last goal was made with only 4 seconds to go in the game. "Well, it's all over but the shouting," said the coach. Tom worked hard in college and passed his last test with an A. When he saw the grade, he said, "It's all over but the shouting."
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
all over but the shouting
The outcome is a certainty, as in When Jim hit the ball over the fence, it was all over but the shouting. The term's first use in print, in 1842, was by Welsh sportswriter Charles James Apperley, but some authorities believe it originated even earlier in the United States for a close political race. Today it is applied to any contest. A common British version is all over bar the shouting.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
all over but the shouting, it's
The outcome is certain, though it may not yet be widely known. Probably originating in the mid-nineteenth century, the phrase was first used for the outcome of sporting events, elections, and similar competitive undertakings, and still is.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer