pull out all the stops
idiom

- to deploy all the resources or force at one's disposal

(The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

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WORD ORIGIN

This expression comes from the world of music, specifically the organ. The "stops" refer to stops in a pipe organ, which when pulled out increase the flow of air and therefore the volume. So if you pull out all the stops, every note on the organ will be at maximum level. This gives us the figurative sense of using every available resource for an undertaking.

Instead of pulling out all the stops, some people "pull their hair out," an expression that means to be so annoyed or irritated about something that you literally feel like pulling your hair out in frustration.

And then there are people like Shailendra Roy, an Indian man who pulled out all the stops to perform an amazing stunt and risked nearly pulling all his hair out.

Roy drew huge crowds in eastern India when he pulled the famous Darjeeling toy train with his hair. One end of an iron chain was tied to his foot-long ponytail, and the other to the train engine and three coaches, weighing some 35 tonnes. He says he keeps the hair strong by rubbing it with mustard oil and pulling cars and other heavy objects. In addition to pulling trains, he also pulls trucks and buses. He once tied his ponytail to a rope and flew from one building to another in front of television cameras.

"I am planning to dangle myself from a helicopter," Mr Roy said after pulling the train 10 metres.

Or maybe Mr. Roy is just trying to

- "PULL the wool over our eyes" (to deceive someone). If not and if he is really serious, let's hope the authorities don't

- "PULL the rug out from under him" (to remove all support and assistance). Otherwise, he may have to

- "PULL some strings" (to exert secret control or influence to achieve an end) to accomplish his dramatic feat. But let's hope at the end of the day he

- "PULLS it off" (to perform despite difficulties or obstacles).

sources: BBC News

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SYNONYMS

bring all resources to bear, do everything in one's power, go full bore

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PRACTICE OWAD TODAY

Say something like:

"We need to PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS to make sure that the exhibition is a success."