■ noun (in phr. the full ~ ) Brit. informal the full amount expected, desired, or possible.
Word History
This phrase has been recorded only recently and its true origin has never been ascertained. It has been suggested that it comes from the full Montague Burton , meaning 'a complete three-piece suit' (from the name of a tailor); another possibility is that the full ~ was the full cooked English breakfast insisted on by Field Marshal Montgomery .