1.
almost :
The party was all but over when we arrived.
It was all but impossible to read his writing.
2.
everything or everyone except sth/sb :
All but one of the plates were damaged.
1.
almost :
The party was all but over when we arrived.
It was all but impossible to read his writing.
2.
everything or everyone except sth/sb :
All but one of the plates were damaged.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005