To pull out all the stops
Meaning: To make every possible effort.
Language: English
Literally: To pull out all the stops
Category: Daily Life
Origin: Pulling out all of a pipe organ's stops unleashes its full volume; used figuratively since the 19th century.
More idioms — Daily Life
- To jump on the bandwagon — To join something only once it becomes popular.
- Sein blaues Wunder erleben — To get an unpleasant surprise.
- Fare il portoghese — To sneak in without paying.
- Rimanere in mutande — To be left penniless.
- Onde Judas perdeu as botas — In the middle of nowhere; the back of beyond.
- 七転び八起き (Nanakorobi yaoki) — To keep getting up no matter how often you fall.
More English idioms
- To have egg on your face — To look foolish or embarrassed.
- To bury your head in the sand — To refuse to face an obvious danger.
- To bite off more than you can chew — To take on more than you can handle.
- Caught between a rock and a hard place — Stuck between two equally bad options.
- To show your true colors — To reveal your real character at last.
- To take with a pinch of salt — To regard a claim with healthy skepticism.