with knobs on

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Prepositional phrase

with knobs on

1. (idiomatic, UK) Embellished.
   • 1984, Anne Jamieson, Alan Glanz, Susanne MacGregor, Dealing with drug misuse: crisis intervention in the city:

     And although starting to talk about problem drug takers and demedicalization, when it came to talking about services, it fell back on the old medically dominated system, what Roger Lewis described as 'clinics with knobs on'.

2. (idiomatic, UK) (manner) Extremely; in a similar way, but taken to an extreme.

   And the same to you with knobs on!

   • 2005, Brad Whittington, Living With Fred:

     The door opened a foot. Parker squinted out, looking like death on a Popsicle stick. With knobs on.

See also

• and then some