be all and end all
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be all and end all
or be-all and end-all (bē′ôl′ ənd ĕnd′ôl′)n.
The quintessential or all-important element: "Not that the more spectacular athleticism is the be all and end all of free skating. Spins ... and intricate step sequences are also important" (Howard Bass).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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| Noun | 1. | be all and end all - the essential factor; the all-important element; the supreme aim; "profit is the be-all and end-all of business" component, element, factor, ingredient, constituent - an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech" |
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