from stem to stern
Completely or entirely, as from one end to the other. The stem is the front part of a ship and the stern is the rear. If that guy so much as looks at me the wrong way, I'll cut him from stem to stern, I swear! When I had the flu, I honestly ached from stem to stern and couldn't get out of bed for days. In light of the scandal, the entire organization needs to be restructured from stem to stern.
stem to stern
Completely or entirely, as from one end to the other. The stem and the stern are opposite ends of a ship. If that guy so much as looks at me the wrong way, I'll cut him from stem to stern, I swear! When I had the flu, I honestly ached from stem to stern and couldn't get out of bed for days.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
from stem to stern
1. Lit. from the front of a boat or ship to the back. He inspected the boat from stem to stern and decided he wanted to buy it.
2. Fig. from one end to another. Now, I have to clean the house from stem to stern. I polished my car carefully from stem to stern.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
stem to stern
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
from stem to stern
from the front to the back, especially of a ship.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
from ˌstem to ˈstern
all the way from the front of a ship to the back: It was a small boat, less than thirty feet from stem to stern.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
from stem to stern
From one end to another.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
stem to stern, from
From beginning to end; entirely. In nautical terminology the stem is an upright at the bow (front) of a vessel and the stern is the back end. This counterpart of from head to toe and from soup to nuts was quoted by the Roman writer Cicero as a Greek proverb. In English the term was used literally from about 1600 on, and figuratively soon afterward.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer