go the whole hog

English

Etymology

Likely a folk term from the practice of livestock and butchery; “whole hog” or (“snout to tail”) refers to letting no portion of the animal carcass go to waste. For example, skin is tanned for leather, sweetbreads are harvested, and commonly cast off pieces such as hooves are pickled.

Verb

go the whole hog

1. (idiomatic) To do something as entirely or completely as possible; to reserve or hold back nothing.

   If you can afford a new computer, you might as well go the whole hog and get it custom built.

Synonyms

• (to do something unreservedly): go all out, pull out all the stops

See also

• all the way
• full throttle
• the whole nine yards