be-all and end-all
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Noun
[edit]be-all and end-all (plural be-alls and end-alls)
- (idiomatic) Something considered to be of the utmost importance; something essential or ultimate.
- He thought that cars were the be-all and end-all of life.
- Profit is the be-all and end-all of business.
- a. 1606, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, act 1, scene 7, lines 4–5:
- That but this blow / Might be the be-all and the end-all!
- 2014 September 23, A teacher, “Choosing a primary school: a teacher's guide for parents”, in The Guardian[1]:
- The compulsory tests in reading, writing and maths at the end of years 2 and 6 are often mistakenly seen as the be-all and end-all of a child's chances in life, and the quality of their school.
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[edit]Something considered to be of the utmost importance
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