Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[missdaredevil]

What's the possible meaning of *I pull out all the stops*?

Thanks

[bud]

This is from Cambidge Online Dictionary of Idioms:

pull out all the stops

to do everything you can to make something successful
The stops are handles on an organ (= a large instrument used in churches), which you pull out when you want to play as loudly as possible.
They pulled out all the stops for their daughter's wedding. [often + to do sth]
The airline certainly pulled out all the stops to impress us.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=stops*1+0&dict=I