Pull out all the stops

To pull out all the stops means to go to any means in order to achieve something or make something successful. You use all your energy and effort and all the resources at your disposal to make something the best that it can be. You go beyond what is normally expected and do whatever you can to make something happen. It could be that you spend a lot of money to buy the best things. It could also mean that you work really hard to do everything you can and everything you can think of. You would usually do this for some special event or big occassion that you really want to be successful. This might be a personal occasion like a special birthday, anniversary, wedding, or proposal. This could also be for some business venture that is really important. You might also do this if you really wanted to impress someone such as a husband or wife (or potential husband or wife) or in-law, a boss or company VIP, or a celebrity. Bill: Wow, have you seen the budget for the new ad campaign? John: Yeah, they even hired a new advertising firm. Bill: They're really pulling out all the stops on this one. This is supposedly a phrase that was first used by organists. If you pull out all the stop levers in a pipe organ, it makes the organ produce thte maximum volume.