whole shooting match

English[edit]

Compare whole shitting match. Perhaps that term is a vulgarization of this term, or this term is a bowdlerization of that term.

(idiomatic) Everything; the entire collection, endeavor, or activity.
It started raining on their picnic and they had to move the whole shooting match inside.

for a list of other "whole ___" terms that mean "everything / the whole thing", see the whole nine yards