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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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(ordered by seriousness) ESL Vocabulary Lists Parts of Speech Lists A-Z Idioms and Proverbs Tests and Games Top Tip Install a grammar checker
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Full Monty (Origin)
What Is the Origin of the Saying "Full Monty"?
The term "Full Monty" means the whole thing or all the way.
Competing Theory
The term "the full Monty" originates from the tailoring industry in the 1900s. Specifically, it derives from the tailoring business of Sir Montague Burton. Anyone who bought a full three-piece suit (i.e., jacket, trousers, and waistcoat) would have gone the "full Monty." (Note that "Monty" is given a capital letter in this meaning because it is short for Montague, i.e., it's a proper noun.)Competing Theory
In Spain, a pile of playing cards was called a monte. Therefore, a game with "the full monty" involved all the cards.Previous and Next Sayings
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