English

Noun

whole enchilada ‎(countable and uncountable, plural whole enchiladas)

1. All of something or a group of related things taken in totality.
   • 1984, William Diehl, Hooligans:

     They need a fall guy for the whole enchilada.

   • 2001, Jane Heller, Name Dropping: What If Two Very Different Women Had the Same Exact Name?:

     "I want the wife, the kids, the house, the dog, the whole enchilada," he said in his rapid-fire way of talking.

   • 2002, Whil Hentzen, The Software Developer's Guide:

     Your job as a software developer is not to simply slam out code, but to deliver the whole enchilada.

   • 2004, Rick Farren, The Secret of the Lighthouse:

     It is only by loving all of ourselves (the whole enchilada!) that unconditional love of self is possible.

See also

• for a list of other "whole ___" terms that mean "everything / the whole thing", see the whole nine yards