soup-to-nuts
UK[ˌsuːp tə ˈnʌts]US[ˌsuːp tə ˈnʌts]
adj
Covering every detail or aspect of something; complete and thorough.
adv
In a manner that covers everything from beginning to end.
Etymology
The phrase originates from American English in the early 20th century, drawing from the imagery of a full-course formal dinner. In such a meal, the first course served is soup, and the final course often includes nuts, served with dessert or as a digestif. The expression "from soup to nuts" thus came to metaphorically represent a complete sequence from start to finish. Over time, it was lexicalized into the hyphenated compound "soup-to-nuts," functioning as an adjective or adverb to describe something comprehensive and all-inclusive, capturing the entirety of a process or offering.
Analysis
This is a fixed idiomatic compound derived from a longer phrase. It is not productively formed from separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The consultant provided a soup-to-nuts analysis of our supply chain inefficiencies.
We offer soup-to-nuts services, from initial design to final implementation and support.
The training program takes you soup-to-nuts through the entire software development lifecycle.