holus-bolus
Definition
- Adverb:
- All at once; in a single gulp or swallow: "holus-bolus" describes doing something in one swift, uninterrupted action, especially consuming food or drink entirely without pause.
- All together; simultaneously: It can also mean doing multiple things or dealing with a group of items at the same time, rather than sequentially.
Usage Examples
- Adverb:
- He drank the medicine holus-bolus, without tasting it. (He swallowed the entire dose in one gulp.)
- The children ate their dinner holus-bolus, finishing in minutes. (They consumed the meal all at once, quickly.)
- She bought the entire collection holus-bolus, not selecting individual pieces. (She purchased everything together, as a whole.)
Advanced Usage
"to take holus-bolus": to accept or consume something entirely and uncritically.
- He accepted the proposal holus-bolus, without questioning any part of it. (He agreed to the entire proposal at once, without analysis.)
"to do something holus-bolus": to perform an action in a single, rapid motion.
- The dog jumped into the pond holus-bolus, splashing everyone. (The dog leaped into the water all at once, without hesitation.)
Variants and Related Words
- Holus-bolus is primarily used as a fixed adverbial phrase. No common variants exist.
Synonyms
- At a gulp: in one swallow (often for liquids).
- In one go: without stopping or breaking.
- Wholesale: all together, without discrimination.
- En masse: as a whole group.
Phrasal Verbs
- No phrasal verbs are formed with "holus-bolus"; it functions as an adverb modifying a verb.
Related Idioms
In one fell swoop: all at once, in a single action (similar meaning but often implies suddenness or destruction).
- The company laid off 200 employees in one fell swoop. (All employees were dismissed simultaneously.)
At a stroke: with a single decisive action.
- He solved the problem at a stroke. (He resolved it immediately, in one action.)