# origin of phrase(s) like "soup to nuts"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-s-like-soup-to-nuts/212979>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 13, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-s-like-soup-to-nuts/212979 "2003-11-13T05:38:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![\_possum\_stalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b77776/32.png) [@\_possum\_stalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_possum_stalker)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-s-like-soup-to-nuts/212979/1 "2003-11-13T05:38:09Z")

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I always thought the phrase “soup to nuts” was inspired by a full meal, from soup to dessert, and meant “the whole kit n’ kaboodle.”

Today I saw an article in the Sydney Morning Herald where the post-bankruptcy president of Enron bragged he “turned ‘soup into nuts.’” I don’t quite understand this usage. They seem to have taken the story down now, or I would link.  
Am I right about the phrase or its origin? Did the Enron guy just botch his metaphor?

Does it describe the effects of some kind of 1920’s death ray? Wait, that’s “turned ‘nuts into soup.’”

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**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-s-like-soup-to-nuts/212979/2 "2003-11-13T06:12:26Z")

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They botched the metaphor, which as you said, refers to a dinner from first course to last.

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**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-s-like-soup-to-nuts/212979/3 "2003-11-13T13:22:46Z")

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Here’s a link to Cecil’s Mailbag:

[http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msoupnut.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msoupnut.html)

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**Author:** ![\_possum\_stalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b77776/32.png) [@\_possum\_stalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_possum_stalker)\
**Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-phrase-s-like-soup-to-nuts/212979/4 "2003-11-13T15:16:47Z")

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That settles that. I somehow failed to find that report in my archive search- back to the FAQs for me.