The full monty
"The full monty" (or "the full Monty") is a British slang phrase of uncertain origin. It means "everything which is necessary, appropriate or possible; 'the works'".[1] Similar North American phrases include "the whole kit and caboodle",[2] "the whole nine yards",[3] "the whole ball of wax", "the whole enchilada", "the whole shebang", or "[going] the whole hog".
The phrase was first identified in print by lexicographers of the Oxford English Dictionary in the 1980s. Anecdotal evidence exists for earlier usage;[2] the phrase was also used as the name for some fish and chip shops in Manchester during the same period.[3][4]
Hypothesised origins of the phrase include:
- A full Second World War, they were issued with a "demob suit". The contract for supplying these suits was partly fulfilled by Montague Burton.[5]
- Gamblers' jargon, meaning the entire kitty or pot, deriving from the card game called monte.[5]
References
- ^ "full monty, n. (and adj.)". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2001.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-957415-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4081-5743-5.
- ISBN 978-1-84607-235-2.
- ^ a b c Quinion, Michael (12 January 2002). "The Full Monty". Worldwidewords.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015.
Further reading
- "It's in the dictionary, d'oh!". BBC News. 14 June 2001.
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