run the gamut
idiom

- experience, display, or perform the complete range of something

- to include the whole range of possible things within a group or type

- to encompass an entire range of something

Oxford Languages, Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster

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PHRASE ORIGIN

The phrase "run the gamut" stems from medieval music theory. The word "gamut" derives from gamma ut - where gamma was the lowest note in the medieval musical scale (named after the Greek letter γ), and ut was the first note in a musical pattern.

The full medieval scale was called "the gamut" and running through it meant singing all the notes in order from lowest to highest. Over time, this musical meaning expanded metaphorically to mean "to extend over, or to include, an entire range".

The phrase began appearing in English in this broader sense around the 17th century. Today we use it to describe anything that covers a complete range or spectrum, like "emotions can run the gamut from joy to despair" or "the restaurant's menu runs the gamut from simple sandwiches to elaborate entrees".​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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THE UNSEEN SPECTRUM

What we consider be “the whole range" is often only a part of what is actually there. Consider how humans perceive colour: we see all the colours of the rainbow, from the deepest purple to the brightest red. Yet a honeybee, hovering over a flower bed, perceives an entirely different spectrum, including ultraviolet patterns invisible to us but crucial for finding nectar. Meanwhile, while dogs, see only about 40% of the colours humans can distinguish, their noses are 40x more sensitive, able to detect the scent of one drop of liquid in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools,… that's about 2.5 million liters of water!

Our limitations extend far beyond visual perception. In music, what we consider the complete range of audible notes represents only a fraction of the sound spectrum. Elephants communicate using infrasonic rumbles too low for human ears, while bats navigate through ultrasonic frequencies high above our hearing range.

Understanding our limitations has led to remarkable technological innovations that expand our perceptual boundaries, from infrared cameras to ultrasound imaging, and electron microscopes to radio telescopes.

It’s tempting to think we “see it all”, but in reality,… it’s only a tiny slice of the whole gamut!

Helga & Paul Smith

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SYNONYMS

A to Z, across the board, all aspects (bases covered, encompassing, four corners, walks of life), all-embracing, (-encompassing, -inclusive), alpha and omega, bells and whistles, broad array, collection, compass, complete array (package, range, set, spectrum, sweep), comprehensive range, cover a GAMUT, cradle to grave, cross section, diapason, encyclopedic, entire array (breadth, collection, extent, realm, scope, spectrum), every angle (last bit, nook and cranny, possibility, shade), everything under the sun, exhaustive, far and wide, from a to z (beginning to end, end to end, soup to nuts, fom start to finish, stem to stern, the ground up, top to bottom), full array (complement, expanse, extent, package, panorama, range, scale, scope, set, slate, span, spectrum, sweep), high and low, hook line and sinker, in all respects (every way, its entirety, totality), inside and out, left right and center; lock stock and barrel; near and far, omnibus, on all fronts, panorama, run the GAMUT, scale, scope, series, sweep, the big/complete picture, the entire enchilada (full monty, grand tour, lot), the whole ball of wax (enchilada, GAMUT, kit and caboodle, nine yards, range, schmear, shebang), the works, through and through, tip to toe, top to bottom, total package (range), whole package (picture, range, spectrum, suite), wholesale, wide breadth (spectrum), wide-ranging

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Our cat's moods RUN THE GAMUT from aloof disdain to clingy desperation."

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THANKS to Gloria for suggesting today's OWAD

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