| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| about 2, (that’s) what it’s all |
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| What it’s all about has been a cliché since about 1960. This is what we’re [all] about is an idiomatic way of saying “This is what we believe in” or “This is what the situation means.” It does not mean “This is what we are on the point of doing” or “This is what we are trying to accomplish.” Now tiresomely familiar, What it’s all about should be limited to Conversational and Informal or Semiformal use, and even then only when you’re sure its brevity will cause your readers or listeners to forgive the cliché. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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