all singing, all dancing

English

Etymology

From the advertising posters used to promote the 1929 film The Broadway Melody – Hollywood’s first all-talking musical (as opposed to partially talking, partially silent) – which proclaimed the film to be “All Talking All Singing All Dancing” – see film poster. In full, the poster reads:

METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER’S
ALL TALKING ALL SINGING ALL DANCING
PICTURE
THE BROADWAY MELODY

Adjective

all singing, all dancing (not comparable)

1. Having many features, options or extras; sometimes used ironically to imply that the added features are just gimmicks.

See also

• bells and whistles