all the
A greater amount or degree of something, usually as a result of, due to, or compared to something else. All the worse for me, as I have no one to help shoulder the burden now that I am alone. It's too bad that you're allergic to shellfish, but all the more lobster for me! Oh, you can't come until Saturday afternoon? Well, all the better for me then—I get to sleep in!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
all the
1. Even, more so, as in
Painting the room white will make it all the lighter, or
They liked her all the better for not pretending, or
You don't care for dessert? Good, all the more for us. Used to underscore a comparison, this idiom was used by Shakespeare in
As You Like It (1:2): "All the better; we shall be the more marketable." [Late 1500s] For a synonym, see
so much the.
2. The entire amount of, as in These cousins were all the family he had. In this usage all the is short for all of the. [Ninth century a.d.]
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.