Possible Duplicate:
“all but at most one” - What does it mean?
When a sentence has this phrase: "....which all but one refused to do."
Does it mean all refused to do and only one did it? Or does it mean everyone did it, except one didn't?
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Also related: The construction of “Known but to God” ◊ “All but” idiom has two meanings? ◊ Specific usage of the word 'but' ◊ “to have all but X” ◊ “nothing but” vs. “anything but” vs. “everything but”.– RegDwigнtCommented Apr 15, 2012 at 13:37
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This plainly isn't a duplicate: all but at least one is completely different from all but one, which may not be obvious to non-native speakers. There are, however, sufficient similar questions to make this one not worth re-opening.– Tim LymingtonCommented Apr 15, 2012 at 14:11
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@TimLymington: I'm not sure all but at least one really makes sense in any context. The duplicate is for all but at most one, and the answer there covers the meaning if "at most" had been omitted or otherwise failed to apply.– FumbleFingersCommented Apr 15, 2012 at 14:44
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1 Answer
It means that all refused to do and only one did it. Sometimes rearranging the structure helps to clarify: "all refused to do [it] but one."
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from the otherways, all but one did means everyone did it but one did not do it.– ktaCommented Aug 15, 2021 at 7:07