Meaning & use
kit and caboodle
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalold-fashioned
Everything of a particular kind, with nothing left out.
Grammar: Almost always used as the whole kit and caboodle, treated as a singular noun phrase.
Patterns
- the whole kit and caboodle
They sold the house, the furniture and the whole kit and caboodle.
He arrived with tents, stoves, lanterns and the whole kit and caboodle.
The wedding package included flowers, music, food and the whole kit and caboodle.
Common combinations
- the whole kit and caboodle
- We took the whole kit and caboodle to the beach.
- pack the whole kit and caboodle
- She packed the whole kit and caboodle into one small van.
- sell the whole kit and caboodle
- They decided to sell the whole kit and caboodle and move abroad.
- bring the whole kit and caboodle
- Please do not bring the whole kit and caboodle to a simple picnic.
Synonyms and how they differ
- the whole lot
- The whole lot is the plain, neutral phrase, whereas kit and caboodle sounds playful and a little dated.
- the whole shebang
- The whole shebang is also informal, but it is more often used for an entire event or operation.
- everything
- Everything is the standard word and carries none of the friendly humor of the idiom.
- lock, stock and barrel
- Lock, stock and barrel stresses a complete takeover or purchase, while kit and caboodle stresses a whole collection.
Word family
Commonly confused: kit and caboodle or kit and kaboodle?
kit and caboodle vs kit and kaboodle
The usual spelling is kit and caboodle with a c, although the k spelling appears occasionally.
Practice
The family moved house and took the furniture, the pets and the whole kit and caboodle. Here the phrase means ___.
Choose one answer.
Kit and caboodle means the entire collection of things. The other options each name something narrower.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “kit and caboodle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.