The full monty ( phrase ) - Wikipedia The full monty ( phrase ) A Second World War British soldier selects a jacket for his `` demob suit ''. These suits are one of the possible origins of the phrase The full monty ( or the full Monty ) is a British slang phrase of uncertain origin. It is generally used to mean `` everything which is necessary, appropriate or possible ; ' the works ' ''. Similar North American phrases include the whole kit and caboodle, the whole nine yards, the whole ball of wax, the whole enchilada, the whole shebang, or ( going ) whole hog. The phrase was first identified in print by the OED in the 1980s. Anecdotal evidence exists for earlier usage ; the phrase was also used as the name for some fish and chip shops in Manchester during the same period. Hypothesized origins of the phrase include : Field Marshal Montgomery 's preference for a large breakfast, even while on campaign. A full three - piece suit with waistcoat and a spare pair of trousers from the Leeds - based British tailors Montague Burton. When the British forces were demobilised after the Second World War, they were issued with a `` demob suit ''. The contract for supplying these suits was partly fulfilled by Montague Burton. Gamblers ' jargon, meaning the entire kitty or pot, deriving from the card game called monte. See also The Full Monty, a 1997 British comedy - drama film References Jump up ^ `` full monty, n. ( and adj. ) '' Oxford English Dictionary ( Online ed. ). Oxford University Press. 2001. ^ Jump up to : Dent, Susie ( 2009 ). What Made The Crocodile Cry ? : 101 questions about the English language. OUP Oxford. pp. 151 -- 152. ISBN 9780191650604. ^ Jump up to : Gooden, Philip ( 2013 ). Idiomantics : The Weird and Wonderful World of Popular Phrases. A&C Black. pp. 7 -- 8. ISBN 9781408157404. Jump up ^ Games, Alex ( 2010 ). Balderdash & Piffle : One Sandwich Short of a Dog 's Dinner. Random House. pp. 213 -- 214. ISBN 9781446415085. ^ Jump up to : Quinion, Michael. `` World Wide Words : The Full Monty ''. worldwidewords.org. Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2010. Jump up ^ `` It 's in the dictionary, d'oh ! ''. BBC News. 14 June 2001. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 18. This vocabulary - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_full_monty_(phrase)&oldid=803590722 '' Categories : Slang English phrases Vocabulary and usage stubs Hidden categories : All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from January 2016 Use dmy dates from September 2011 All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 3 October 2017, at 12 : 21. About Wikipedia

Question: where does the term full monty come from
Answer: of uncertain origin