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What is the meaning and origin of "lock stock and barrel"?
(K. V. R. Rao, Hyderabad)
This is an expression, which has been around for several hundred years. Do you know anything about guns? I understand that the "lock", "stock" and "barrel" are different parts of a gun; they were originally different parts of a musket. The wooden "stock" was that portion which you placed against your shoulder when you fired the gun. The "lock" ignited the gunpowder and the bullet came out of the "barrel". Together the "lock, stock and barrel" made up the entire gun. It is not surprising therefore that the idiom means "including everything; every part of something". Here are a few examples.
*Shyam is moving his company lock, stock, and barrel from Patna to Bangalore.
*Ravi wanted to turn over his assets to the Government lock, stock and barrel.
S. UPENDRAN
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