all-or-nothingadj.n.

Brit.

/ˌɔːlɔːˈnʌθɪŋ/, U.S.

/ˈˌɔlərˈnəθɪŋ/,

/ˈˌɑlərˈnəθɪŋ/

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: all pron. and n., or conj.¹, nothing pron. and n.

Etymology: < all pron. and n. + or conj.¹ + nothing pron. and n., after all or nothing at all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 25a. In the specific uses in watchmaking (see senses A. 1, B.) after French tout-ou-rien (1730 or earlier in this sense).

A. adj.

1. Watchmaking. all-or-nothing piece n. a part of the mechanism in a repeating watch which allows the striking either of all hours and quarters, or of none.

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the world > time > instruments for measuring time > watch > [noun] > parts of

barrel1591

motion1605

bezel1616

fusee1622

string1638

crown wheel1646

out-case1651

watch-box1656

nuck1664

watchwork1667

balance-wheel1669

box1675

dial wheel1675

counter-potence1678

pendulum-balance1680

watch-case1681

pillar1684

contrate teeth1696

pinion of report1696

watch-hook1698

bob-balance1701

half-cock1701

potence1704

verge1704

pad1705

movable1709

jewel1711

pendant1721

crystal1722

watch-key1723

pendulum spring1728

lock spring1741

watch-glass1742

watch-spring1761

all-or-nothing piece1764

watch hand1764

cylinder1765

cannon?1780

cannon1802

stackfreed1819

pillar plate1821

little hand1829

hair-spring1830

lunette1832

all-or-nothing1843

locking1851

slag1857

staff1860

case spring1866

stem1866

balance-cock1874

watch-dial1875

balance-spring1881

balance-staff1881

Breguet spring1881

overcoil1881

surprise-piece1881

brass edge1884

button turn1884

fourth wheel1884

fusee-sink1884

pair-case1884

silver bar1884

silver piece1884

slang1884

top plate1884

karrusel1893

watch-face1893

watch bracelet1896

bar-movement1903

jewel pivot1907

jewel bearing1954

1764 Gentleman's Mag. June 299/2 The all or nothing piece, 1-half of a grain.

1843 Penny Cycl. XXVII. 108/1 The whole..carried by the all-or-nothing piece TR.

1860 M. L. Booth tr. L.-S. Le Normand et al. New & Compl. Clock & Watchmakers' Man. i. 32 The all-or-nothing-piece, G, has its centre of motion at the point T, on the rod of a screw resembling the screw F.

1928 J. E. Haswell Horology xviii. 226 This lever, which can be seen in the front view, is actually the all-or-nothing piece and has a small amount of side play.

1975 A. Smith Clocks & Watches ii. 47/2 Providing that the all-or-nothing piece..has been pushed sufficiently firmly to allow the quarter striking arm to be released, all is now ready.

2. That is pursued or accepted either entirely or not at all; having no middle position or compromise available.

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the world > time > change > absence of change, changelessness > [adjective]

fasteOE

inunvariable1535

uniform1559

changeless1575

unvariant1582

wasteless1589

unchanging1595

inherent1601

unselfchanging1605

shiftless1606

ne'er-changinga1616

waxlessa1618

immutable1621

equal1626

irreducible1633

indiminishable1641

imprevaricable1644

Median1649

undiminishable1653

assiduous1661

unvarying1690

unfluctuating1723

unrelapsing1740

stable1742

unarbitrary1793

untransferable1794

unaltering1813

constant1817

all-or-nothing1853

all-or-none1864

reducelessc1864

unaugmentable1868

invariant1874

inadaptive1886

plateaued1899

steady state1909

hardcore1951

homoeostatic1955

monochromatic1959

1853 Brit. Q. Rev. May 598 The main-spring—thanks to the all or nothing policy of the despots—will have to be supplied by some military genius.

1880 Literary World 30 Apr. 277/3 The writer, who sets out himself from the all-or-nothing position, fails to see that the great majority of scientific men of our day would refuse to be classed in such downright terms as believers and unbelievers.

1897 W. James Will to Believe 292 The silly hegelian all-or-nothing insatiateness.

1936 J. C. Powys Maiden Castle (1937) vi. 222 They don't need your damned all-or-nothing truths!

1960 in L. Pincus Marriage i. 21 An all-or-nothing response in which the infant feels itself and its world to be entirely good, or entirely bad.

2001 Outside Oct. 104/1 In transitional weather, avoid all-or-nothing clothing options.

3. Physiology. (Of a physiological process, esp. muscle contraction or nerve conduction) occurring either to the fullest extent or not at all; designating this principle of action; = all-or-none adj. 2.

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the world > life > biology > biological processes > stimulation > [adjective] > qualities of response

all-or-nothing1897

all-or-none1900

phasic1906

quantal1933

1891 A. D. Waller Introd. Human Physiol. iii. 90 ‘All or nothing’ is the motto of the heart's contraction under these circumstances.]

1897 Science 11 June 907/2 The height of the contraction varies (up to a maximum) with the strength of the stimulus, i.e., the ‘all or nothing’ law does not hold.

1932 Times Lit. Suppl. 11 Feb. 93/2 The ‘all-or-nothing’ law of nervous conduction.

1992 Byte Oct. 140/2 The production of a spike in a neuron's axon is an all-or-nothing affair.

2001 D. Holland et al. in W. Barfield & T. Caudell Fund. Wearable Computers xxv. 763 Each motor unit (combination of a single motoneuron and the muscle cells it controls) can be fired independently of all others, and the signal to the motoneuron causes all the motor unit's muscle cells to contract (the ‘all or nothing’ firing concept).

B. n. Watchmaking.

The all-or-nothing piece in a watch mechanism (see sense A. 1). Now rare.

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