"of all things" meaning in All languages combined

See of all things on Wiktionary

Prepositional phrase [English]

Audio: En-au-of all things.ogg
  1. (idiomatic) Especially; more than other things. Tags: idiomatic Related terms: of all, of all people, of all places Translations (more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)): 偏偏 (piānpiān) (Chinese Mandarin), よりによって (yori ni yotte) (Japanese), 事もあろうに (koto mo arō ni) (alt: こともあろうに) (Japanese), akurat (Polish), и́менно (ímenno) (english: namely, exactly) (Russian), да ещё и (da ješčó i) (Russian)
    Sense id: en-of_all_things-en-prep_phrase-insTWKVj Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with German translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Russian translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 100 0 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 100 0 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 100 0 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 100 0 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 100 0 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 100 0 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 100 0 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 100 0 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 100 0 Disambiguation of 'more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)': 100 0
  2. (idiomatic, often used as a sentence adverb) Surprisingly. Tags: idiomatic, often Translations (Surprisingly): ausgerechnet (German), o dziwo (Polish), кто бы мог поду́мать (kto by mog podúmatʹ) (Russian)
    Sense id: en-of_all_things-en-prep_phrase-81Cv9xLh Disambiguation of 'Surprisingly': 0 100
{
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "100 0",
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          "_dis": "100 0",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
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          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
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          "parents": [],
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Especially; more than other things."
      ],
      "id": "en-of_all_things-en-prep_phrase-insTWKVj",
      "links": [
        [
          "Especially",
          "especially"
        ],
        [
          "more",
          "more"
        ],
        [
          "things",
          "things"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Especially; more than other things."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "of all"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "of all people"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "word": "of all places"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "lang_code": "cmn",
          "roman": "piānpiān",
          "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
          "word": "偏偏"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "yori ni yotte",
          "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
          "word": "よりによって"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "alt": "こともあろうに",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "lang_code": "ja",
          "roman": "koto mo arō ni",
          "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
          "word": "事もあろうに"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
          "word": "akurat"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "english": "namely, exactly",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "ímenno",
          "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
          "translation": "namely, exactly",
          "word": "и́менно"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "100 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "da ješčó i",
          "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
          "word": "да ещё и"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              43,
              56
            ]
          ],
          "text": "He reached into his pocket and pulled out, of all things, an ice cream cone.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              6,
              19
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Well, of all things! Who would have expected him to propose to her on stage?",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              7,
              20
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 111:",
          "text": "“Well, of all things!” cried the equally astonished Jane. “And here I have been wasting whole reams of perfectly good imagination picturing you in Baltimore—the very idea!” And she threw her arms about her friend once more, and kissed her a dozen times.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              179,
              192
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:",
          "text": "Mother went a little pale. “Preposterous!” she said. “I don’t know what’s got into you!” She fiddled with her bouffant, almost as if she was nervous. “Your father, in a rock band of all things! First that exercise book full of outrageous stories, and now this!”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              84,
              97
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2024 March 10, David Hytner, “Doku involved at both ends as Liverpool and Manchester City share spoils”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Liverpool needed a break and they got it at the beginning of the second half, from, of all things, a misplaced City pass. Aké was the culprit, undercooking his attempt to go back to Ederson and seeing Núñez steal in. He toed it away from the goalkeeper and was promptly cleaned out by him.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Surprisingly."
      ],
      "id": "en-of_all_things-en-prep_phrase-81Cv9xLh",
      "links": [
        [
          "sentence adverb",
          "sentence adverb"
        ],
        [
          "Surprisingly",
          "surprisingly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, often used as a sentence adverb) Surprisingly."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "used as a sentence adverb"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "often"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "Surprisingly",
          "word": "ausgerechnet"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "lang_code": "pl",
          "sense": "Surprisingly",
          "word": "o dziwo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "kto by mog podúmatʹ",
          "sense": "Surprisingly",
          "word": "кто бы мог поду́мать"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-of all things.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/18/En-au-of_all_things.ogg/En-au-of_all_things.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/En-au-of_all_things.ogg"
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  ],
  "word": "of all things"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English prepositional phrases",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "of all"
    },
    {
      "word": "of all people"
    },
    {
      "word": "of all places"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Especially; more than other things."
      ],
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        [
          "Especially",
          "especially"
        ],
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          "more",
          "more"
        ],
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          "things",
          "things"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) Especially; more than other things."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
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        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
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              43,
              56
            ]
          ],
          "text": "He reached into his pocket and pulled out, of all things, an ice cream cone.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              6,
              19
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Well, of all things! Who would have expected him to propose to her on stage?",
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        },
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            [
              7,
              20
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 111:",
          "text": "“Well, of all things!” cried the equally astonished Jane. “And here I have been wasting whole reams of perfectly good imagination picturing you in Baltimore—the very idea!” And she threw her arms about her friend once more, and kissed her a dozen times.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              179,
              192
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:",
          "text": "Mother went a little pale. “Preposterous!” she said. “I don’t know what’s got into you!” She fiddled with her bouffant, almost as if she was nervous. “Your father, in a rock band of all things! First that exercise book full of outrageous stories, and now this!”",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              84,
              97
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2024 March 10, David Hytner, “Doku involved at both ends as Liverpool and Manchester City share spoils”, in The Guardian:",
          "text": "Liverpool needed a break and they got it at the beginning of the second half, from, of all things, a misplaced City pass. Aké was the culprit, undercooking his attempt to go back to Ederson and seeing Núñez steal in. He toed it away from the goalkeeper and was promptly cleaned out by him.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Surprisingly."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sentence adverb",
          "sentence adverb"
        ],
        [
          "Surprisingly",
          "surprisingly"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, often used as a sentence adverb) Surprisingly."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "used as a sentence adverb"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic",
        "often"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-of all things.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/18/En-au-of_all_things.ogg/En-au-of_all_things.ogg.mp3",
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "lang_code": "cmn",
      "roman": "piānpiān",
      "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
      "word": "偏偏"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "yori ni yotte",
      "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
      "word": "よりによって"
    },
    {
      "alt": "こともあろうに",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "roman": "koto mo arō ni",
      "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
      "word": "事もあろうに"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
      "word": "akurat"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "english": "namely, exactly",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "ímenno",
      "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
      "translation": "namely, exactly",
      "word": "и́менно"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "da ješčó i",
      "sense": "more than other things, especially, exactly (that thing)",
      "word": "да ещё и"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "Surprisingly",
      "word": "ausgerechnet"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "lang_code": "pl",
      "sense": "Surprisingly",
      "word": "o dziwo"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "kto by mog podúmatʹ",
      "sense": "Surprisingly",
      "word": "кто бы мог поду́мать"
    }
  ],
  "word": "of all things"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-08 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.