say it all

English

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

say it all (third-person singular simple present says it all, present participle saying it all, simple past and past participle said it all)

(idiomatic) To express the essential characteristics of a person, thing, or situation in a concise, well-crafted turn of phrase or in some other pithy manner.[1]
- 1987 May 3, Thomas J. Knudson, "Montana Grapples with High Worker Insurance," New York Times (retrieved 4 June 2015):
  "One Idaho logger told my sons, ‘We're stealing your lunch,’" said Connie M. Wood, owner of the Topper Wood Trucking Company in Libby. "That seems to say it all."
- 2011 Jan. 20, James Poniewozik, "The Onion's New Fake News Show," Time (retrieved 4 June 2015):
  The show's slogan says it all: "News without mercy."
(idiomatic) To convey information implicitly in a non-verbal way.
- 2004 Feb. 13, Denise Pearson, "And they say romance is dead...," Guardian (UK) (retrieved 4 June 2015):
  The look on his face said it all. He was terrified!
- 2015 May 30, Helen Carson, "Pic of the week: Downer... Rory struggles on home soil," Belfast Telegraph (retrieved 4 June 2015):
  Rory McIlroy looked downcast . . . his body language saying it all, head down and shoulders slumped, he is a picture of bitter disappointment.

Synonyms

(express essential characteristics concisely): nail it
(convey information implicitly): speak volumes

Derived terms

SSIA

Translations

to sum up the characteristics of someone or thing in a pithy manner.

German: eigentlich alles gesagt sein mit
Maori: kua oti te ao

to convey information implicitly and non-verbally.

Dutch: boekdelen spreken
French: en dire long (fr)
German: eine eindeutige Sprache sprechen, Bände sprechen (de)

References

Cf. William Safire (New York Times, May 20, 1984): "To say it all means ‘to reveal the essence’ or ‘to signal the bottom line,’ as if what small amount has been said or shown is a synecdoche for all that could possibly exist on the subject."