Slang dictionary
all that
[ awl th补迟听]
What does all that mean?
All that has been used as a stand-in for “very” since the mid-1900s, but the modern interpretation of the phrase exploded in popularity in the ’90s. The slang version is used as an adjective meaning “of especially good quality” or “the best.” But it didn’t just stop at all that in the ’90s. Eventually, the phrase took on food-themed variations including all that and a bag of chips and all that and a side of fries. Although the longer versions can certainly be used as compliments, they tend to have a more negative, sarcastic connotation. In other words, “Hey, you’re not as cool as you think you are.”聽
Where does all that come from?
All that was thought to begin as a slang phrase in the 1990s hip-hop scene and eventually expanded to include the snack-food takes such as “and a bag of chips.”
Then there was the effect of Will Smith as the star of the popular sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In a 1993 episode, Will tries to woo a girl with “…oh baby, you all that and a bag of chips.” Smith’s soaring celebrity status and the success of the show catapulted the usage of this phrase to new heights.
Examples of all that
Who uses all that?
All that became a widespread cultural phenomenon in the 1990s and was particularly popular with young people. But, like many slang phrases, all that wasn’t all that for long. Now in the 2020s, the only time you might hear either phrase is when an elder millennial or Gen X-er is feeling nostalgic.
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of all that like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of all that that will help our users expand their word mastery.