Everything but (or including) the kitchen sink

To throw or commit everything but (or including) the kitchen sink at something or other, is to commit absolutely everything. According to Eric Partridge, the origin is military slang from World War II, when British troops would throw everything but, or including, the kitchen sink, at the enemy. The expression stems from the fact that kitchen sinks in the early 20th century were manufactured from such heavy ceramic material, and were so strongly bolted down that they were extremely difficult to remove. Consequently, if one happened to be demolishing a house, the kitchen sink would invariably be one of the last items standing when everything else had been demolished. Because of this reputation for durability, the kitchen sink took on the figurative meaning of the 'the last resort' or 'one final effort' by the 1940s. Therefore, if one was to 'throw the kitchen sink at something' or 'give something the kitchen sink', one would be committing absolutely everything and making one final, all or nothing effort. (Incidentally, a kitchen 'sink' is so-called because it has a 'sinkhole' through which water can drain.)