(you) can't win them all
(you) can't win them all
A phrase said, often as an attempt at consolation, when one has lost or failed to achieve a desired result, especially after previous success. "Them" is sometimes abbreviated as "'em." I know you're disappointed to have the lost the game, but you can't win them all, honey. A: "I'm sorry, I know you worked really hard and were expecting an A+." B: "Eh, can't win 'em all."
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
(You) can't win them all.
and (You) can't win 'em all.Inf. a catch phrase said when someone, including the speaker, has lost in a contest or failed at something. (The you is impersonal, meaning one, anyone. The apostrophe on 'em is not always used.) Mary: Gee, I came in last again! Jane: Oh, well. You can't win them all. "Can't win 'em all," muttered Alice as she left the boss's office with nothing accomplished.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
you can't win 'em all
Success is not inevitable, as in They published your article but not your rebuttal to the reviewer? Well, you can't win 'em all . [First half of 1900s] For a synonym, see win some, lose some.
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.
you can't win them all (or win some, lose some)
said to express consolation or resignation after failure in a contest. informalFarlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
you can’t win them ˈall
,you ˈwin some, you ˈlose some
(spoken) used to express sympathy for somebody who has been disappointed about something: ‘I made a terrible speech this evening.’ ‘Well, you can’t win them all. Don’t worry about it.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
can’t win (th)em all
tv. (one should) expect to lose every now and then. It doesn’t really matter. You can’t win them all.
You can’t win ’em all
verbYou can’t win them all
and You can’t win ’em all sent. No one succeeds all the time. (Said when someone fails.) Don’t fret about it, Tom. You can’t win them all.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
you can't win 'em all
It’s impossible to succeed in every undertaking. This twentieth-century Americanism slightly antedates the synonym win some, lose some, having originated about 1940. Also a philosophic view of losing, it appears in Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye (1954): “Take it easy, Doc. You can’t win ’em all.” In contrast, the shorter you can’t win is generally spoken out of frustration with defeat and originated somewhat earlier, probably about 1910.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer