The whole shebang means everything; all the elements of something; every thing that is included in something; the entire affair; the complete situation.
Similar idioms include the whole nine yards, the whole enchilada, the whole ball of wax and the whole shooting match.
Shebang Meaning
Because it is almost never used outside of this specific idiom, people frequently wonder what a shebang (often phonetically misspelled as shabang) actually is.
The English word dates from the mid-1800s and is a perfect example of a fossil word, a term that only survives within a single phrase The term originally referred to a small hut, shed, shanty or humble, crude dwelling of a temporary nature, usually made of discarded boards or refuse. The term may have a corruption of shebeen meaning “tavern.” Shebang is said to have been made popular by soldiers during the US Civil War.
What Does “Shebang” Mean? (Shebang vs. Shabang)
The whole shebang has been used since the mid to late 1800s and is first seen in print in 1869. It was often was used to describe complete groups of people, e.g. ‘the whole shebang of them,’ a sense that has been lost today.
But how did a crude, temporary hut become a synonym for “everything”? The answer likely lies in how those huts were actually built. Because a physical shebang was a patchwork structure cobbled together from many different discarded bits of lumber, canvas, and debris, the phrase “the whole shebang” naturally became a metaphor for a collective whole. It originally alluded to the entire messy mix of disparate parts that make up a single structure, before eventually broadening to mean the entire situation or affair.
Television and Movie Citations
Because the phrase is perfect for summarizing a long list of items or describing an entire operation, screenwriters use it frequently to wrap up a thought without having to list every single detail.
- The Literal Structure: In a brilliant (and perhaps accidental) nod to the word’s origin as a flimsy physical structure, a character in the noir film Ace in the Hole (1951) uses the phrase to describe a collapsing cave: “When we get that done, we oughta be able to start operating moving those heavy slabs and stones so the whole shebang doesn’t come crashing in on us… and on him.”
- The Criminal Logistics: In the crime thriller Training Day (2001), the phrase is used to quickly summarize a complete package of forged documents: “I’m going to need a new passport, photo ID, driver’s license, the whole shebang. Can you do that for me?”
- The Grand Enterprise: In the western All the Pretty Horses (2000), the phrase is used to describe the vast scope of someone’s property and business operations: “There’s Don Hector Rocha y Villareal. Owns this whole shebang. One of the last great ranches in Mexico.”
- The Exhaustive List: In the comedy House Party (1990), a character uses it to emphasize that they were completely prepared to host: “You should’ve got here earlier. I had everything. Liter bottles, potato chips, the whole shebang.”
