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Difficulty: HardIdioms and Idiomatic Expressions

Complete the sentence below by supplying the correct word that completes the idiomatic expression.

Answer:When the bankrupt manufacturing firm was forced into liquidation, the receivers sold off the business lock, stock, and 【barrel】 to a foreign investment consortium.

Answer

barrel
The correct word to complete the idiomatic expression is 'barrel'. The full expression 'lock, stock, and barrel' means completely, entirely, or including every part without exception.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the context of the sentence
The context describes a complete, exhaustive sale of all assets of a liquidated firm to an investor.
Understanding the context points to an idiomatic expression that means entirely or including every single part.
2
Identify the target idiomatic phrase and its fixed components
The fixed tripartite idiom meaning 'completely' or 'in its entirety' is 'lock, stock, and barrel'.
Idioms possess rigid lexical collocational structures, originally referencing the three primary components of a firearm.

Key Concept

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions
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Topics

Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

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