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Glite Dictionary
including the kitchen sink

including the kitchen sink

7.7
Almost everything possible is present, even things you do not need
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : incluyendo hasta lo que no se necesita
  • The report was so detailed that it covered every topic, including the kitchen sink.

Examples

  • The musings of a classical music autograph dealer with an emphasis on historical composers, musicians, opera singers, and ballet dancers, along with a good bit of opinion on the world of classical music and opera today, and everything else including the kitchen sink.

    Blog text (21)

  • The presentation included everything imaginable, including the kitchen sink, which surprised everyone.

  • Her shopping list was exhaustive, including the kitchen sink and other unnecessary items.

Synonyms

you name it
vsincluding the kitchen sink
  • Informal
7 7.2

Anything you can think of is included

is used to stress inclusion of almost everything and often implies unnecessary excess
whole kit and caboodle
vsincluding the kitchen sink
  • Informal
4 6.7

All the things and people connected with something

is used to stress inclusion of almost everything and often implies unnecessary excess
whole kit
vsincluding the kitchen sink
  • Informal
3 5.2

All the things you need for an activity, like tools and supplies

is used to stress inclusion of almost everything and often implies unnecessary excess

Antonyms

limited
393 2.5

Available only in small amounts or to a few people

selective
118 4.3

To choose carefully and accept only certain people or things

Surface Forms

including the kitchen sink main

Morphology

include + the + kitchen + sink

The meaning 'virtually everything possible' is a figurative hyperbole and not directly deducible from the literal words 'include', 'kitchen' and 'sink' — the sink is just an arbitrary household item used as an emblem of excess. This is a fixed, colloquial idiom (as in 'everything but the kitchen sink') so learners who know the constituents but haven't seen the expression are unlikely to predict the idiomatic sense.

Etymology

The phrase including the kitchen sink comes from the image of someone packing or listing so many things that they even include the heavy kitchen sink. That picture shows that almost everything is included, often 'too much'.