Meaning of Idiom ‘Each and Every One’
Each and every one is a more emphatic way of saying every or all. It is used to emphasize every member of a group, item on a list, etc. and to reinforce that there are no exceptions. The idiom can also refer to parts of a whole such as “every last morsel of food.”
The latter variants, ‘every last’ and ‘every single’ are today used more widely.
Examples Of Use
“Each and every one of us of us will undergo drug testing, even senior management.”
“Be sure to read every single word of a contract before signing.”
“Every last item in the store must be accounted during the inventory.”
Origin
Each and every one of us derived from an earlier idiom, all and every, recorded as early as 1502. Every last is a later variant, dating from the 1800s.
During the 18th to 19th centuries, last was often used to mean a certain load, weight, or measure of something. Thus, “every last of rice” would mean every measure or container of rice. Whether the variation every last one is connected to this usage is unknown.
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