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Is there a Gender-neutral equivalent of "to a man"?

I mean the expression "to a man" in the sense of "each and every one".

For example:

The skydivers, to a man, felt they had taken all necessary precautions

Is there a similar expression that would be a good substitute without implying a gender?

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  • I've heard something like "they were in agreement to a man and a woman". It is probably what I would use.
    – WS2
    Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 11:46
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    Each and every skydiver...
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 11:51
  • @Mari-LouA yes, but that isn't quite an equivalent sentence construction, so not really a direct substitute. Perhaps you could say "the skydivers, each and every one, felt..." its just not as concise Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 12:04
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    You eliminate "man" from the equation but the problem remains, because no matter how much we might aspire to gender neutral language, it's a fact that whenever we hear or read "skydiver" or "firefighter" or "General" or "steel worker" or even "President" we think of "man".
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 12:11
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    Nothing wrong with "To a person". Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 13:49

1 Answer 1

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Well, the Collins Dictionary offers you some alternatives

  • without exception
  • each and every one
  • one and all

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