All sewn up
Meaning
This idiom describes a situation, plan, or task that is completely finished, decided, or successfully managed, leaving no loose ends or doubts.
Origin
Imagine the meticulous world of tailoring, where a skilled craftsperson takes disparate pieces of fabric and, with countless precise stitches, joins them into a perfect garment. When the last seam is closed and every thread secured, the piece is not just complete, but flawlessly finished, with no risk of unraveling. This vivid imagery of absolute completion and secure closure, where every detail is neatly fastened and nothing is left to chance, eventually leaped from the textile workshop into the broader lexicon, becoming a concise way to describe any plan, deal, or competition that has been brought to a definitive, successful, and irreversible conclusion.
Examples
- After weeks of negotiations, the business deal was finally all sewn up.
- The team played so well in the first half that the game was all sewn up by halftime.