cover the waterfront

cover the waterfront

To be thorough and comprehensive in what is presented or dealt with. This thesis will attempt to cover the waterfront of English Law from 1950 to the present.
See also: cover, waterfront
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

cover the waterfront

to deal with every detail concerning a specific topic. Her talk really covered the waterfront. By the time she finished, I knew much more than I wanted to know.
See also: cover, waterfront
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

cover the waterfront

mainly AMERICAN
If you cover the waterfront, you include or deal with a very wide range of things, or every aspect of something. Moving full-time into TV presenting, Tyler has covered the waterfront from current affairs programmes and documentaries to daytime chat shows.
See also: cover, waterfront
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

cover the waterfront

cover every aspect of something. North American informal
1999 Tony Parsons Man and Boy And I suddenly realised how many father figures Luke has, father figures who seem to cover the waterfront of parental responsibilities.
See also: cover, waterfront
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

cover the waterfront

To treat, examine, or include a full range of things: a book that covers the waterfront on starting your own business.
See also: cover, waterfront
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

cover the waterfront, to

To include or comprise everything about something, to leave nothing out. Why this American colloquialism should use “waterfront” to mean everything about some subject is a mystery: for example, “This American history course begins with Columbus and ends with the last election—it really covers the waterfront.”
See also: cover
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
See also:
  • cover the waterfront, to
  • cover the field
  • waterfront
  • go about to (do something)
  • have too much on (one's) plate
  • have too much on plate
  • on the right foot, get off
  • get off on the right foot
  • get/start off on the right/wrong foot
  • begin to see daylight
References in periodicals archive
- Annette Hanshaw Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition - Kay Kyser & His Orchestra Dawn of a New Day - Horace Heidt & His Music Knights Night and Day - Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra My Heart Belongs To Daddy - Eddie Duchin & His Orchestra Chasing Shadows - Quintette of the Hot Club of France Jitterbug Waltz - Fats Waller & His Rhythm I Cover The Waterfront - Connie Boswell Mental Strain At Dawn -Jack Purvis, trumpet solo, with rhythm accompaniment Bei Mir Bist Du Schon -Benny Goodman & His Orchestra, with vocal by Martha Tilton The Trouble With Me is You - Red McKenzie The Skeleton In The Closet - Putney Dandridge We Saw The Sea - Fred Astaire La Mer - Django Reinhardt
LEGACY RECORDINGS DEBUTS JAZZ & POP MUSIC IN "BIOSHOCK 2"
The book attempts to cover the waterfront of the myriad common law remedies, which vary from state to state, but is not very effective in doing so.
Disability Harassment
With Daniel Craig and Eva Green, hot from "Casino Royale," in "The Golden Compass," Helen Mirren, hot from "The Queen," in "Inkheart," and cult comedian Pegg in "Run, Fat Boy, Run," NL has quietly maneuvered itself into an impressive position to cover the waterfront of Brit talent from two very different angles.
Jones makes Material progress
Billie Holiday's I Cover The Waterfront, Finlandia by Jean Sibelius and Bobby Darin's Mack The Knife feature among this favourites.
LICENSED T0 CHILL; Exclusive Easy-listening songs Bond star listens to on his iPod
While the book offers thematic sections, it does not cover the waterfront by any means.
Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches
It is remarkable that this set of software applications which cover the waterfront of quantitative genetic analysis can be built on one platform.
Genetic Analysis of Complex Traits Using SAS
Buttoning up my overcoat and turning my collar to the chill, l cover the waterfront.
The case of the disappearing sign
"I'm interested in a lot of different things, and I want to cover the waterfront," says Tomlinson, a reporter for the paper since 1989.
Tommy, we can hear you (fine)
Her ability to cover the waterfront from jazzy warbling to raw anger isn't in doubt, but she urgently requires more quality material.
Music: NEW ALBUMS
Arioli has a particular fondness for Billie Holiday and sings quite a few songs associated with her, including He's Funny That Way, Lover Come Back To Me and I Cover The Waterfront. At the same time she never attempts Holiday's edge of tragedy.
CD Reviews: Jazz/World
"And Talk will continue to cover the waterfront on all that's bubbling up in today's culture.
Talk of the town
And the systems Bertrand lists cover the waterfront -- everything from correction boxes and journalism reviews to ombudsmen and press councils.
Journalists: exert self-discipline. (Book Reviews)
"Kaiser has good, better, best lines that cover the waterfront on programs.
BERNDES/KAISER SPLITS UP; GERMAN FIRMS TO END U.S. DISTRIBUTION DEAL
One usually thinks of CD-ROMs in Print as concentrating on scientific, business, and professional titles, but Gale actually claims to cover the waterfront, including "entertainment, games, and hobbies." Indeed, there are 1,322 entries for games (10 percent of all titles) and even 124 for "adult entertainment" (less than 0.8 percent of all titles).
Gale CD-ROMs in Print, 12th Edition