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Difference between Be a know-all and Know it all

admin Confusing Phrases

be a know-all—said of smb. who thinks he knows everything and annoys people by showing how clever he is:

  • I don’t see the point in arguing with someone who plays such a knowall.

know it all—

1. be extremely knowledgeable; be fully informed:

  • Did he choose the Pharisees and the Sadducees—the scribes and men who did nothing all day but study the scripture—men who knew it all?

2. is often used with the implication of overconfidence:

  • The older I get, the more I realize that my dad really did know what he was talking about (but I was a young punk who “knew it all”…).