The phrase “all-out” refers to a radical action affecting all members of a group, with no exceptions. Its origin is unclear, but it may have come from stockbrokers or horse racing. It can also be hyphenated, and implies impartial attention and equal implementation of changes.
The phrase all-out often refers to an all-encompassing action, affecting the full spectrum of a group. For example, a company may decide to give all employees a 10% pay raise. It would be fair to characterize this radical action as a generalized revival. When an event is described in this way, there are no exceptions: everything is affected in the same way.
The origin of the phrase is a bit murky. Some sources suggest that the term originated with the first organized stock markets in New York City. The individual stock shares were entered manually on large blackboards placed along the walls. Any major adjustments that affected all titles would have to be implemented by hand “across the board”, so to speak. When stockbrokers spoke of sweeping changes like this, they were referring to the flurry of activity surrounding these boards.
Another theory is that the phrase originally referred to a betting method in horse racing. Standard horse racing bets allow punters to place bets on individual horses or a combination of horses. A horse is considered a winner if he places first (win), second (place) or third (show). Additional bets can be placed on a team of two or three horses, often called perfecta bets or hat-trick bets.
There is another betting option available. The same horse can be chosen to win, place or exhibit. This is sometimes called an all-out bet. The bettor essentially covers his potential losses by betting on all possible outcomes.
The sentence can also be hyphenated, such as a generalized reduction in wages. Some may refer to a reform of political leaders or an examination of a company’s policies in this way. The implication is that all elements of the group would receive impartial attention and that any changes would be implemented equally.
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