Meaning of Idiom ‘Every Nook and Cranny’
Every nook and cranny means everywhere; every possible part of a place. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
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Usage
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.”
Examples Of Use
“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. 3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. Although nook still survives in breakfast nook and is sometimes used to describe any small storage locaton, especially when built in the corner of a room, both words are rarely heard outside of the present idiom.
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Sources
| 1, 3. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. |