Dictionary Home » The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms » lock, stock, and barrel

lock, stock, and barrel

lock, stock, and barrel idiom

The entirety; all of something. For example, Jean moved out of the house, lock, stock, and barrel. This expression alludes to the three elements of a firearm—the lock or firing mechanism, the stock or handle, and the barrel or tube. [Early 1800s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.