Meaning of Idiom ‘Every Nook and Cranny’
Every nook and cranny means everywhere; every possible part of a place. 1,2
This idiom is usually used in regards to searching for something. For example: “I’ve searched through every nook and cranny of the house” which means “I’ve searched every possible place in the house.”
Sentence Examples
“I’ve searched every nook and cranny and I can’t find my keys,” said Perry. “Have you seen them?” “Have you looked in the refrigerator?” asked Samantha.
“After searching every nook and cranny for his glasses, Joel realized they were on his head.”
Origin
Since the mid-1300s, nook has meant “an out of the way corner” while cranny has meant “a crack or crevice” since around 1440. 3 Although nook still survives in breakfast nook and is sometimes used to describe any small storage location, especially when built in the corner of a room, both words are rarely heard outside of the present idiom.
More Idioms Starting with E
- Every Little Thing
- Even a Broken Clock Is Right Twice a Day
- Every Name in the Book, been called
- Egg On
- Egg On Your Face, to have
More Every Idioms
- Every Little Thing
- Every Name in the Book, been called
- Every Now and Then
- Every Time One Turns Around
- Each And Every One (Every Last One, Every Single One)
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.