catch-all
noun

- a term or category that encompasses a variety of different elements

- something designed or serving to catch, hold, account for, or include miscellaneous items or a wide variety of things

- a bag, basket, or other receptacle for odds and ends

Oxford Languages / Merriam-Webster / Dictionary(dot)com

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WORD ORIGIN

“Catch” derives from the Anglo-French cachier “to capture” (animals) and further from the Vulgar Latin captiare “to try to seize, chase”. When combined with "all" (every one of something, the whole of something), then catch-all means to capture or hold the entire amount of something.

The earliest known use of the word dates back to the 1820s. Specifically, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) cites its first recorded use in 1827 in the New-England Galaxy (Boston).

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22 CATCH-ALLS

1. All-encompassing = covering or including everything (“The new policy is all-encompassing, addressing every aspect of workplace safety.”)

2. All-purpose = suitable for many different uses or purposes (“This all-purpose cleaner works on various surfaces, from countertops to floors.”)

3. Blanket term = a word or phrase used to describe a wide range of things (“Millennials' is often used as a blanket term for young adults, despite covering a wide age range.”)

4. Broad brush = a general or imprecise approach (“The report painted the issue with a broad brush, lacking specific details.”)

5. Catchment = an area from which something is collected (“The new school will serve as a catchment for students from several neighboring towns.”)

6. Cover-all = something that covers or includes everything (“The company's new insurance policy is a cover-all, protecting against various risks.”)

7. Cure-all = a remedy for all diseases or problems (“Exercise is often touted as a cure-all for both physical and mental health issues.”)

8. Do-it-all = capable of performing many different tasks (“The new smartphone is a do-it-all device, replacing several separate gadgets.”)

9. Dragnet = a system for catching or collecting things (“The police cast a wide dragnet in their search for the suspect.”)

10. Everyman = a typical or ordinary person (“The character in the novel represents an everyman, facing common life challenges.”)

11. General-purpose = suitable for or applicable to many different uses (“This general-purpose software can be customized for various business needs.”)

12. Grab bag = a random assortment of items (“The yard sale was a grab bag of household items, from old books to kitchen appliances.”)

13. Jack-of-all-trades = a person who can do many different types of work (“As a handyman, he's a jack-of-all-trades, able to handle plumbing, electrical, and carpentry jobs.”)

14. Miscellany = a mixture of various things (“The antique shop was a miscellany of items from different eras.”)

15. Multi-purpose = having many uses or functions (“This multi-purpose tool includes a knife, screwdriver, and bottle opener.”)

16. Omnibus = containing or including many items (“The omnibus bill covered a wide range of legislative issues.”)

17. One-size-fits-all = designed to be suitable for everyone (“The company's one-size-fits-all approach to customer service isn't meeting individual needs.”)

18. Panacea = a solution or remedy for all difficulties (“Technology is often seen as a panacea for educational challenges, but it's not that simple.”)

19. Potpourri = a mixture of various things (“The festival offered a potpourri of music genres, from jazz to rock.”)

20. Smorgasbord = a wide variety of things to choose from (“The conference offered a smorgasbord of workshops on various business topics.”)

21. Swiss army knife = something with many different functions (“This app is the Swiss army knife of productivity tools, offering note-taking, task management, and more.”)

22. Umbrella term = a term that covers a broad range of related concepts (“Artificial intelligence' is an umbrella term that includes machine learning, neural networks, and much more.”)

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a sentence, say something like:

“It’s surprising how many CATCH-ALL words and phrases exist in English.”

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HAVE A LAUGH and connect today’s OWAD with yesterday’s in a witty way… say something like:

“The politician's speech was a CATCH-ALL of promises that seemed to have drifted in OVER THE TRANSOM of public opinion polls.”

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