Etymology Journal ยท C
Check all the boxes
Meaning
- To satisfy every single requirement or expectation for a particular situation. It means you have covered every base necessary to succeed or be approved.
Practical, organized
Used in a sentence
- This house checks all the boxes for our growing family.
- She did not check all the boxes on the application so she was rejected.
- We need a candidate who can check all the boxes for this new management role.
The backstory
This likely comes from the bureaucratic practice of using forms with checkboxes to confirm that specific tasks have been completed. It entered common business parlance in the mid-20th century.
Heard in
Nationwide
Vibe check