| 词组 | to all intents and purposes |
| 释义 | to all intents and purposes Any idiomatic phrase consisting of five words and eight syllables is asking for trouble, and this one has gotten it, from Evans 1957, Phythian 1979, Copperud 1980, and Janis 1984. It is an old phrase, apparently originating in the language of 16th-century English law, where it was to all intents, constructions, and purposes. It has taken various forms throughout its history, including to all intents, to all intent and purpose, and for all intents and purposes, but to all intents and purposes has long been established as the most common one: • Most of the essential policies ... were, to all intents and purposes, those of a British colonial premier — H. L. Mencken, Prejudices: Second Series, 1920 • ... now he is to all intents and purposes a classic — Leonard Unger, Sewanee Rev., Summer 1979 • His courteous response was, to all intents and purposes, no response —Philip Roth, N. Y. Times Book Rev., 15 Feb. 1976 The critics have predictably called it wordy and hackneyed, but, as these quotations show, it is used without ill effect by excellent writers, and there is no compelling reason to avoid it. If you prefer a shorter alternative, however, the best one is usually in effect. |
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