of all people
Being the most or least expected person compared to anyone else. Really, Jeff, you of all people should know that it is never OK to get behind the wheel after drinking. And then Tom Hanks, of all people, stopped by to take pictures with our wedding party in the park.
of all places
Being the least expected place compared to anywhere else. My parents are taking us to Louisiana, of all places. What the heck is there to do in Louisiana?
of all things
Of all the possibilities (this is the most surprising or unlikely). When he retired, he took up painting, of all things. He had never even picked up a paintbrush before that! After spending his childhood in and out of detention centers, he became, of all things, a cop.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
of all things
From all the possibilities, as in I said I'd help in any way I can, and of all things they want me to handle publicity. This term, generally expressing surprise, was first recorded in 1925.
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.