all but
1. Everything or everyone, with the exclusion of. All but the freshmen were invited to the party. We sold all but the curtains in that estate sale. I know I made an announcement about it yesterday if all but you two showed up in the right uniform today.
2. Nearly. Public pay phones have all but disappeared in most major cities. The remnants of this ancient civilization have all but vanished. My interest in this project is all but gone after working on it for four years.
do a vanishing act
To depart or go away very suddenly or without warning, especially so as to avoid doing or dealing with something. My roommate loves to throw parties here, but she always does a vanishing act the next day when everything needs to be cleaned up! Brian is nearly two weeks late finishing his sales report—that's why he's been doing a vanishing act whenever the boss is around. I bet the interns did a vanishing act because they heard you want them to stuff envelopes!
pull a vanishing act
To depart or go away very suddenly or without warning, especially so as to avoid doing or dealing with something. My roommate loves to throw parties here, but she always pulls a vanishing act the next day when everything needs to be cleaned up! Brian is nearly two weeks late finishing his sales report—that's why he's been pulling a vanishing act whenever the boss is around.
sink without (a) trace
1. To quickly and thoroughly fail. The new smartphone was meant to revolutionize the industry, but it sank without trace after its commercial release. After his initial breakout success, the director's follow-up film sank without a trace.
2. To be forgotten about by the population as a whole, especially after being very popular. The digital pets fad took the world by storm in the late 1990s, but sank without trace by the end of the millennium.
vanish away
To disappear entirely. And just like that, my dreams of ever competing in the Olympics vanished away. The remnants of this ancient civilization have all but vanished away.
vanish from (something)
1. To disappear or pass out of view, sight, etc., especially suddenly or mysteriously. The magician's signature illusion is to make a volunteer vanish from sight.
2. To become missing from some place, as if having been removed or become lost (usually to someone's surprise or confusion). I would give you my stapler, but it seems to have vanished from my desk. That poor little girl vanished from her school back in the '80s and was never found again.
3. To pass from existence on or in some place. The dinosaurs vanished from the earth roughly 65 million years ago. The tribe completely vanished from the land due to the horrible plague.
vanish into (something or some place)
1. To pass completely out of sight after moving into some place or thing. The ninja stole the ancient scroll and vanished into the shadows. I tried tracking the tiger, but it vanished into the jungle.
2. To become lost in some place or thing. As the dictatorship tightened its grip on the country, more and more political dissidents began vanishing into their nightmarish detention centers. Somehow over $20 million has vanished into this project, without so much as a functioning prototype to show for it.
3. To pass out of existence or memory. Usually followed by "obscurity," After releasing just one hit album, the band suddenly vanished into obscurity in the late '70s. The digital pets fad took the world by storm in the late 1990s, but it vanished into the sands of time just as quickly.
vanish into the woodwork
To recede or absent oneself from public view; to become or remain hidden in society. The former movie star, never one to vanish into the woodwork, launched a very successful chain of restaurants and eventually ran for public office in Washington state. I think people expected us to vanish into the woodwork after the referendum results, but we made sure to stay firmly in the eye of the public.
vanish into thin air
1. To become invisible or pass out of sight, especially very suddenly or mysteriously. The wizard waved his wand and vanished into thin air. The magician's signature illusion is to make a volunteer vanish into thin air.
2. To become lost without leaving any trace behind. Police have been searching for a young girl who seemingly vanished into thin air two weeks ago. Authorities remain puzzled by the airplane that vanished into thin air somewhere over the Atlantic. The company has yet to explain how $10 million of venture capital vanished into thin air without so much as a prototype to show for it.
3. To be forgotten about very suddenly by the entire population, especially after being very popular. The digital pets fad took the world by storm in the late 1990s, but it pretty much vanished into thin air by the end of the millennium. After releasing their hit album, the band suddenly stopped performing live and seemed to vanish into thin air.
vanish without (a) trace
1. To disappear without any indication to one's or something's whereabouts. Police have been searching for two weeks to find a young girl who vanished without trace from her home in Rochester. Authorities are puzzled by the navy submarine that seemingly vanished without a trace last Thursday.
2. To be forgotten about by the population as a whole, especially after being very popular. The digital pets fad took the world by storm in the late 1990s, but pretty much vanished without a trace by the end of the millennium.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.