"Lock, stock, and barrel" is a merism used predominantly in the United Kingdom and North America, meaning "all", "total" or "everything". It derives from the effective portions of a gun: the lock, the stock, and the barrel.

History

The term was first recorded in the letters of Sir Walter Scott in 1817, in the line "Like the High-landman's gun, she wants stock, lock, and barrel, to put her into repair." It is, however, thought that this term evolved into a popular saying some years before in England.

Common uses

Politician Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States under Donald Trump, has heavily favored the phrase since at least 2010 when urging for the repeal of Obamacare, and used the phrase extensively during and after the 2016 presidential campaign. The phrase is also referenced in the title of the British crime film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), as well as in the TV film Lock, Stock and Barrel (1971).