wide open

[wahyd-oh-puhn]

wide-o·pen

[wahyd-oh-puhn]
adjective
1.
opened to the full extent: a wide-open window.
2.
lacking laws or strict enforcement of laws concerning liquor, vice, gambling, etc.: a wide-open town.

Origin:
1850–55
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Wide open is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Slang Dictionary

wide open definition


  1. mod.
    as fast as possible; at full throttle. : I was driving along wide open when I became aware of a flashing red light.
  2. mod.
    vice-ridden. : This town is wide open!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

wide open

  1. Unresolved, unsettled, as in The fate of that former colony is still wide open. [Mid-1900s]

  2. Unprotected or vulnerable, as in That remark about immigrants left him wide open to hostile criticism. This expression originated in boxing, where it signifies being off one's guard and open to an opponent's punches. It began to be used more broadly about 1940. Also see leave open.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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