cover the waterfront

Definitions

To cover every aspect of a topic or situation.

Examples

“But on the other hand, we continue⟳ to see⟳ huge sales of teacher-oriented textbooks that cover⟳ the waterfront of the major facts, laws, and theories in each and every domain of science.”

“"I hear⟳ you," Polly said. "I do feel⟳ better, I can't help⟳ it, and I'm very grateful for it. Does that about cover⟳ the waterfront?"”

“For another, whereas the pairing of “foreign” and “domestic” often covers the waterfront,... the dissent’s hypothetical pairings do not have⟳ that same effect. And unlike animals (which need⟳ not be small or doglike) or ice creams (which need⟳ not be chocolate or vanilla), every government must be foreign or domestic to some degree; the question⟳ is just where on the spectrum it falls.”

CEFR level