What it means
To go the whole hog means to do something properly all the way, not half-heartedly and not on the cheap. Once you've decided you're in, you go big and do the lot. People use it for anything from home makeovers to parties to ordering every extra on the menu. It's a lively, old-school way of saying you didn't hold back.
Usage examples
"If we are redecorating, let us go the whole hog and replace the carpets too."
"We were only going to paint one wall, but we went the whole hog and did the whole house."
"My parents went the whole hog on the silver wedding anniversary celebration in Norwich, hired the village hall, ordered a five-tier cake from the bakery on Magdalen Street, brought in the local jazz quartet, and the dancing carried on until the last guest left at two in the morning sharp."
"The new restaurant on the high street in Bath went the whole hog with the seasonal menu launch, twelve courses, three different wine pairings, sommelier with a moustache, and the reservation list filled up for the entire month within the first thirty-six hours of opening to the public."
"We were only meant to do a quick barbecue, then Dan went the whole hog and rented a smoker, fairy lights, and a dodgy karaoke machine."
Where it comes from
This one’s properly old. It’s recorded in English from the early 1800s and first meant taking or buying the entire pig, not just a cut of it. From there it widened into the modern sense of doing the full thing with no skimping, no half measures, and no cheap little cop-out.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
Whispers of Ancient Wisdom Official watcher of this expression
Tell me, what have you got for me?