Full Monty
<p>The only thing we are sure about is the meaning, namely, the whole lot or the complete works and, as the 1997 movie taught us, when it comes to striptease, it means completely naked. As for the origin, no one knows for sure. The most plausible origin from at least nine alternatives that have been put forward is the Montagu Burton one. Montagu Burton, the retail chain of tailor shops, opened their first shop in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, in 1903. By 1929, there were over 500 shops and during WWII, the firm made a quarter of all British army uniforms, and after the war provided one third of all ‘demob’ or demobilisation suits that were given free of charge to those servicemen who had served in WWII. Montagu Burton offered a basic two-piece lounge suit during the 1930s, but for a nominal amount of more money, an extra pair of trousers and a waistcoat could be thrown in. According to former employees, this was known as ‘the full Monty’. Other theories like General Montgomery’s predilection for a full English breakfast, even in the desert, or the wearing of his full set of medals, are often put forward as the origin of the full Monty, but these are less convincing than the Montagu Burton origin.</p>