all the marbles
The whole prize
All the marbles means everything at stake—the entire prize, total victory, or complete control.
The phrase comes from children's marble games where the winner takes the loser's marbles.
It almost always appears with "for": This championship game is for all the marbles.
Playing for all the marbles means risking everything on a single outcome.
- prizeReward for winning
- allThe complete quantity
- gambleStake on uncertain outcome
- stakesPosts or wagers
- victoryDefeating an opponent
make-or-break · competition · whole shebang · hook, line and sinker · showdown · final showdown · moment of truth · checkmate · winner-takes-all · all or nothing · grand slam · endgame · whole ball of wax · whole enchilada · culmination · everything but the kitchen sink · do-or-die · put up or shut up
all the marblesnothing
Not any thing
zilch · consolation prize · crumbs · table scraps · second place
all the marblesbragging rights
Informal claim to superiority
nothing · zilch · bupkis · just for fun · zip