To pull out all the stops

To pull out all the stops means to do everything possible to achieve something.

‘If we’re going to win the contract, we’re going to have to pull out all the stops!’

‘To survive the crisis, we’re going to have to pull out all the stops.’

But what is a ‘stop’ and why are we pulling it out?

This is an idiom with quite a specific origin which is the organ; not the electric sort but the traditional kind pushed by air pushed through bellows,

The large organs found in churches and cathedrals have large metal pipes. On the keyboard area of the organ, there are many valves or ‘stops’ that control how much air is allowed into the pipes. As a very basic piece of science, by pulling out all the stops, you increase the volume!

So now you know!

Here’s an example.




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Put a spanner in the works

This is a spanner.

The works is another term for a machine.

What would happen if you put a spanner in the works?

It would break and stop. That's exactly what workers used to do when they needed a rest from the demanding machines that they worked with.

Becoming a slave to machinery was already a worry in the time of Charlie Chaplin.

Here's an extract from the film Modern Times.

As keen as mustard

You may know that keen means enthusiastic but why as keen as mustard?

Mustard, and particularly Coleman's English mustard, is very spicy and in this sense keen is a synonym of hot.

It could also mean extreme in some way.

There was a bit of a keen wind blowing through the valley.

So keen as mustard is a play on the double meaning of keen but for this idiom it means very enthusiastic.

Here's a classic, British advert with some aristocrats and a mustard crisis!

Back from the Dead

To come back from the dead is to return to popularity or success after a period in the wilderness.

A real life back from the dead situation was the amazing story of footballer Fabrice Muamba who having suffered a heart attack on the pitch, miraculously survived and fully recovered.

I'm pleased to report that English Idioms is also making a comeback after having taken a year off to concentrate on other projects.

You will find regular idiom posts and features about the books published through our company Praski Publishing - come and join us on Facebook and look out for a new idiom book out soon.

Thanks for reading.
George