ENGLISH
REFERENCE

go the whole hog

idiom
Meaning

To do something as completely or entirely as possible; to hold back or reserve nothing.


Origin

first recorded 18th c. disputed origin

Origin uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * A reference to using the whole of a hog’s carcass for food, leather, etc., without wasting any part; or specifically to a poem by the English poet William Cowper (1731–1800), “The Love of the World Reproved” (published 1782) in which uncertainty among Muslims about which parts of a hog are permitted as food leads to the whole animal being eaten. * A reference to hog (“(Ireland, New Zealand, UK, historical, slang) shilling; (US, obsolete, rare) ten-cent coin, dime”), possibly in the context of spending the entire sum of money.

Examples
SIMPLE

If you renovate the kitchen, you should go the whole hog.

CONTEXTUAL

Instead of just painting the walls, they decided to go the whole hog and replace all the furniture.

COMPLEX

Rather than implementing a partial solution, the committee chose to go the whole hog and overhaul the entire organizational structure to ensure long-term success.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all dressed up and nowhere to go

    Elaborately attired or otherwise fully prepared for an anticipated situation or activity which, nevertheless, fails to occur.

  2. 02

    all systems go

    Everything is ready.

  3. 03

    as you go

    While one is doing (something); as one progresses.

  4. 04

    ball hog

    In team sports, a player who keeps the ball to themselves, rather than passing it.

  5. 05

    boldly go where no man has gone before

    To break new ground.

  6. 06

    come and go

    To repeatedly appear and disappear; to be transient.

  7. 07

    crank one's hog

    To masturbate by stimulating one's penis.

  8. 08

    don't go there

    Do not broach that topic.

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