when all's (is) said and done
when all's (is) said and done
In the end, nevertheless. This cumbersome locution dates from the sixteenth century. The OED cites Thomas Ingelend in The Disobedient Child (1560): “When all is saide and all is done, Concernynge all thynges both more and lesse.”
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer