all get-out
To the greatest possible degree; extremely.
Also called all git-out, as all get-out, like all get-out.
Updated September 21, 2026
all get-out pronunciation
/awl GET-out/
Meaning
An intensifier. Pair it with "as" or "like" and it turns up the volume on whatever came before. Hot as all get-out. Running like all get-out. It does the same job as "as hell," only milder for church parking lots and grandma's kitchen.
How folks use it
- “That attic was dusty as all get-out.”
- “Once the gate opened, those kids ran like all get-out.”
Origin and etymology
American dialect from the mid-1800s. Early prints say "as get-out" or "as git-out," then "all" got stuck in for extra punch. Mark Twain wrote "like all git-out" in Huckleberry Finn. Why "get-out" came to mean "very" is murky. One fair guess ties it to the old shock cry "Git out!" slotted into comparisons, but nobody has an airtight paper trail.
Frequently asked questions
Do you say "as all get-out" or "like all get-out"?
Both. "As" usually rides with adjectives (mad as all get-out). "Like" usually rides with verbs (worked like all get-out).