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kitchen sink

kitchen sink

2 4.2
A very large number of things, often including items that are not needed
  • noun
  • /ˈkɪtʃən sɪŋk/
  • Informal
translation icon : todo menos el fregadero
  • Holly covers "everything but the kitchen sink" when it comes to features: the arts, young adults, classical music, art, fitness, home, gardening, and food.
  • throw the kitchen sink
  • including the kitchen sink

So why would you not throw the kitchen sink every time?

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Examples

  • I think Romney hurt himself with the kitchen sink ads last week.

    Blog text (7)
  • The Fed is throwing everything in the kitchen sink at the problem, and the problem has to be has to be solved.

  • So why would you not throw the kitchen sink every time?

  • Yeah, I saw a kitchen sink, your car, your house, everything.

  • It's an "everything but the kitchen sink" defense.

    Blog text (19)
  • What if I just want to see what API a specific element has available and not the whole kitchen sink?

    Blog text (7)
  • With so many brands jostling for attention, the low signal-to-noise ratio might tempt marketers into adopting an "everything but the kitchen sink" approach, attempting every idea from the marketing playbook in the hope that one will stick.

    Blog text (19)
  • In her latest project, she included everything but the kitchen sink to impress the judges.

  • The documentary featured interviews, archival footage, and the kitchen sink to provide a thorough perspective on the issue.

  • At the yard sale, they were selling clothes, furniture, and even a kitchen sink among other items.

Synonyms

whole kit and caboodle
vskitchen sink
  • Informal
4 6.7

All the things and people connected with something

is similar but often used to stress excess rather than mere completeness
whole kit
vskitchen sink
  • Informal
3 5.2

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

is the broader informal expression that can imply excess
from soup to nuts
vskitchen sink
  • Informal
1 7.4

Including everything from the beginning to the end

is similar but focuses on sequence rather than unnecessary inclusion
including the kitchen sink
vskitchen sink
  • Informal
7.7

Almost everything possible is present, even things you do not need

refers to an exhaustive range often described as excessive
everything but the kitchen sink
vskitchen sink
  • Informal
6.0

A way to say there are almost all things you can think of

expresses the same totality but with an extra sense of excess

How Complete

kitchen sink
  • Informal
2 4.2
variety
582 1.3
assortment
36 3.5
selection
171 1.9

Surface Forms

kitchen sink singular
kitchen sinks plural

Morphology

kitchen + sink

The idiomatic sense of 'kitchen sink' (as in 'everything but the kitchen sink') is not compositionally predictable from the literal meanings of 'kitchen' and 'sink'; the phrase signals an exhaustive or excessive assortment through conventionalized usage rather than transparent combination. This cultural/idiomatic extension would not be reliably inferred by a B1 learner who only knows the constituent words, so it is opaque.

Etymology

Kitchen sink can also mean 'a large or exhaustive mix of things'. One popular image is the saying 'everything but the kitchen sink': people pack so much they would even include the heavy kitchen sink, so the phrase came to mean 'almost everything'.