the whole nine yards
All of it
The whole nine yards means everything available or the full extent of something: She went all out for the wedding—the whole nine yards.
The phrase emphasizes completeness or thoroughness, often implying effort or expense: He bought the suit, the shoes, the watch—the whole nine yards.
Its origin is uncertain despite many folk etymologies.
The complete set
- all-inclusiveCovering every element
- comprehensiveIncluding all elements
- thoroughComplete in every detail
- exhaustiveCovering all possibilities
totality · full-scale · all-out · full-bore · full-blown · no-holds-barred · all-in · complete
everything
The complete set
- all-inclusiveCovering every element
- comprehensiveIncluding all elements
- thoroughComplete in every detail
exhaustive · totality · full-scale · all-out · full-bore · full-blown · no-holds-barred · all-in · complete · total
- folk sayingsproverb, adage, maxim, folk saying, old saying
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- Old Idiomsbeyond the pale, hue and cry, scot-free, knight in shining armor, eat humble pie
- ninesninth, cat lives, nonagon, novena, Ennead
- Nautical Idiomsbatten down the hatches, all hands on deck, smooth sailing, three sheets to the wind, in the same boat
the whole nine yardspartial
Favoring one side
incomplete · fragmentary · halfway · a bit · bits and pieces
the whole nine yardsgoing through the motions
Performing without genuine effort
phoning it in · halfhearted · cutting corners · half measures · holding back
whole, graveyard, yardstick, courtyard, ninetieth, shipyard, yardage, ninefold, niner