You're correct, but the specific usage "all but disappeared" is used in English in this case to mean it has declined so much that there is almost nothing left (

You're correct, but the specific usage "all but disappeared" is used in English in this case to mean it has declined so much that there is almost nothing left (everything bad has happened to it, the only thing left is for it to be gone completely). Like right now I would say the snow we had last week has all but disappeared, because there technically are small piles where people had shoveled it or built snowmen, but it has functionally gone. Mitchell is funny but I doubt he ranted about this one because it strikes me as old-timey and posh, and he tends to rant about new things ;)