In the book I am currently reading, the term lock, stock and barrel was used by the protaganist. I didn't have any trouble understanding the meaning, it is one I've heard my whole life, along with the whole shebang. They both mean all, everthing.
Obviously lock, stock and barrel refer to the parts of a gun, but when and why did it come to mean total, all, everything?
Wiki tells me the term is a merism predominately used in the United Kingdom and North America. It was first recorded in the letters of Sir Walter Scott in 1817, in the linee the High-landman's gun, she wants lock, stock and barrel to put her into repair."
The term has been used to describe the selling of a business - the buyer receiving the lock on the door, the stock of goods on the shelves and the barrel of pickles, i.e. all, everything. Even, perhaps, in some bills of sale, the good will of customers. Although I've always thought that depended upon how well the new owner got along with those customers.
So I did learn the origin of the term but I also learned a new word, merism - a figure of speech by which something is referred to by a conventional phrase that enumerates several of its constituents or traits. You know, like hook, line and sinker or lock, stock and barrel - all, total, everything.
Those merisms I'll remember, but the word itself? I doubt it. 😏
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