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Attested
First recorded 1800s
the whole kit and caboodleThe entire collection of people or things in question, with nothing whatever left out; absolutely everything, taken together.
Attested1884
Sporting
dead ringerA person or thing that looks so exactly like another that the two are easily mistaken for one.
Attested1878
First recorded 1900s
the bee’s kneesSomething or someone regarded as outstanding, the height of excellence, in a playful, informal register that dates from 1920s slang.
Attested1922
Sporting
straight from the horse’s mouthInformation obtained directly from the person or source with the most authority on it, rather than through rumour or second-hand report.
Attested1861
Legal
baker’s dozenThirteen of something rather than twelve, the extra item given as a small measure of good faith or generosity.
Attested1614
First recorded pre-1600
crocodile tearsA display of insincere or feigned sorrow, put on to win sympathy or deflect blame while feeling no genuine grief at all.
Attested1563
First recorded 1700s
big wigA bigwig is an important, powerful or high-ranking person, especially one whose self-importance the speaker finds faintly ridiculous.
Attested1772
First recorded 1600s
at loggerheadsTo be at loggerheads is to be locked in a stubborn dispute, unable to reach agreement with the other side.
Attested1680
First recorded 1800s
pull out all the stopsTo pull out all the stops is to make every possible effort and use all available resources to achieve something.
Attested1865
Legal
caught red-handedTo be caught red-handed is to be discovered in the very act of doing something wrong, with the evidence undeniable.
Attested1819