<p>Although the poet's status as a modernist master is by now all but <strong><em>, her unsavory politics continue to _</em></strong> many who study her works today.</p>
<p>ans: inctrovertibel, trouble.</p>
<p>I'm unfamiliar with the idiom "all but ___"</p>
<p>I always thought that means, let's say, the answer could be anything except for one peculiar thing.</p>
<p>am I being confused between "anything but," and "all but?"</p>
<p>is there a difference?</p>
<p>When I see “all but,” I just ignore the 2 words. They’re used merely for emphasis. “Anything but” is the opposite, I believe. “I would eat anything but that.”</p>
<p>Is that a correct explanation? 
I need someone to support Bigb14’s statement.</p>
<p>Yes it is.
By saying:
“the poet’s status as a modernist master is by now all but incontrovertible” the sentence means that the poet status was (very) incontrovertible. </p>
<p>If it had said:
“the poet’s status as a modernist master is by now anything but incontrovertible”
it would have meant that his reputation is not incontrovertible.</p>
<p>thank you both of you!
arg these idioms are the worst for immigrants</p>
<p>as much as i wanna disagree w. bigb, hes right. the words r confusing. its best to just not look at em at all. if i say “jon’s anything but stupid”, then he’s smart; if i say “johns all but stupid” then hes a dumbas s</p>
<p>“all but” means “pretty much” or “practically” or “may as well be,” not “very.” you shouldnt ignore it either, but its better to pretend “all but” isnt there than it is to confuse it with the nearly opposite “anything but”</p>
<p>you guys are geniuses. thank you. i made the same mistake in judgment as op</p>
<p>all but: Very nearly
all but - Wiktionary, the free dictionary</p>