# go the whole hog

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/go-the-whole-hog
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

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

## Examples

- If you renovate the kitchen, you should go the whole hog.
- Instead of just painting the walls, they decided to go the whole hog and replace all the furniture.
- 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.

## 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. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.