"Everything But the Kitchen Sink"

Posted by Gary Martin on July 02, 2001

In Reply to: "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" posted by Helsha on July 02, 2001

: Does anyone know where this originated from? Best I can figure it had something to do with when they gut a house they literally take out everything but the kitchen sink. Any other ideas? That seems too modern a reference.

: Helsha

This is what the Oxford English Dict. has to say on this:

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everything but the kitchen sink and similar phr.: everything imaginable.

1948 Partridge Dict. Forces' Slang 106 Kitchen sink, used only in the phrase indicating intense bombardment-'They chucked everything they'd got at us except, or including, the kitchen sink.' 'The kitchen stove' was also used.
1958 Wall St. Jrnl. 23 Oct. 4/4 Gen. Trudeau said the military services often slow down development of new weapons 'because we are such perfectionists that we want everything but the kitchen sink in a weapon'.
1965 'E. McBain' Doll x. 128 Brown began searching. 'Everything in here but the kitchen sink,' he said.
1966 - Eighty Million Eyes xi. 189 We'll throw everything but the god~damn kitchen sink at you.
1967 L. White Crimshaw Memo. iii. 61 He goes out and buys himself an XKE Jaguar..it had everything but the kitchen sink on it.

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Gary