Lock, stock, and barrel

For other uses, see Lock, Stock and Barrel (disambiguation).

"Lock, stock, and barrel" is a merism used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America, meaning "all", "total" or "everything". It derives from the effective portions of a gun: the lock, the stock, and the barrel.

The lock, stock and barrel of a flintlock musket

History

The term was first recorded in the letters of Sir Walter Scott in 1817, in the line "Like the High-landman's gun, she wants stock, lock, and barrel, to put her into repair."^[1] It is, however, thought that this term evolved into a popular saying some years before in England.^{[citation needed][2]}

Common uses

Politician Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States under Donald Trump, has heavily favored the phrase since at least 2010^[3][4] when urging for the repeal of Obamacare, and used the phrase extensively during and after the 2016 presidential campaign.^[5][6][7]

The phrase is also referenced in the title of the British crime film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), as well as in the TV film Lock, Stock and Barrel (1971).

See also

• Hook, line and sinker
• Siamese twins (linguistics)

References

1. "Lock, Stock and Barrel « The Word Detective". www.word-detective.com.
2. See the following website: https://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2019/11/lock-stock-and-barrel.html
3. "Pence Doubles Down On Health Repeal: 'Committed To Repealing ObamaCare Lock, Stock And Barrel'". Thinkprogress.org. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
4. Ryan, Josiah (19 January 2011). "Pence: Republicans want to repeal healthcare 'lock, stock and barrel'". Thehill.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
5. Japsen, Bruce. "Mike Pence Backed ACA's Medicaid Expansion 'Lock, Stock' And Co-Pay". Forbes.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
6. Mike Pence [@mike_pence] (20 October 2016). "When @realDonaldTrump becomes president, we are going to repeal and replace Obamacare lock, stock and barrel" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
7. "McConnell: Repealing Obamacare 'first item up'". Cnn.com. Retrieved 30 September 2017.