whole shooting match, the

whole shooting match, the

The totality; everything; the whole thing; the WHOLE SCHMEAR

whole shooting match, the

The totality; everything; the whole thing; the WHOLE SCHMEAR

[1896+; probably fr the crowd that would gather at a frontier shooting match, hence, ''the whole crowd''; perhaps influenced by earlier British the whole shoot of the same meaning, fr the whole shot, ''the whole cost or price''; noted in 1900 as a favorite expression of children]