(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."
(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.
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.
you can't win them all (or win some, lose some)
said to express consolation or resignation after failure in a contest. informalyou 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.’can’t win em all
verbcan’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
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.