Everything But The Kitchen Sink

The expression ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ was popularized in the 1940s, reportedly among soldiers during World War II: everything imaginable had to be thrown into battle… except for the bolted, porcelain kitchen sink.

Born in wartime, the idiom captured the essence of absolute resource mobilization. But as it migrated into post-war business and culture, its meaning shifted. What had symbolized full commitment came to signify the impulse to include every possible element in a project or argument. Soon, even the kitchen sink was thrown into the mix, and ‘to kitchen-sink’ became a verb.

Psychologically, ‘kitchen sinking’ reflects a stress response. When confronted with complexity or conflict, individuals tend to raise multiple issues simultaneously, hoping that breadth will substitute for precision as part of a ‘spray and pray’ strategy. It happens in arguments (a classic theme in couple therapy), performance reviews, and political debates: the conversation becomes an unstructured catalogue of past grievances. But flooding the space with issues does not clear the air. Instead, it dilutes the core message, causing those involved to lose track of what truly matters, which worsens an already precarious situation.

In corporate life, the idiomatic expression acquired a related meaning, with a potentially more positive outcome. A newly appointed top executive may ‘kitchen sink’ their first earnings release. This would consist in piling up bad news in one go: lowered guidance or financial targets, delayed product launch, acquisition-related goodwill write-down, and/or expanded warranty or legal provisions. It is a ritual of cleansing, designed to reset expectations and establish a new base from which to outperform. Investors often accept it as a sign of self-awareness: the new management team is taking ownership of reality, displaying a sense of transparency and maturity. The art lies in doing it once, decisively… and never again.

Politicians are used to taking the same approach once elected, gleefully throwing predecessors under the bus. Within weeks of assuming power, they lament the unexpectedly dire state of affairs to justify unpopular measures. The pain, they argue, is inherited. It is a necessary step to move toward greener pastures.

‘Kitchen sinking’ may thus only be a helpful tactic if used sparingly and artfully to trigger a cathartic moment, a total reset allowing involved parties to move forward.

Unfortunately, the kitchen sink now pervades society’s broader culture. Movies, literature, essays, music, cover letters, resumes, cooking recipes, IR decks, press releases, research reports, and corporate disclosure often succumb to a defensive reflex: quantity over quality. Yet, length, complexity, and density breed boredom, opacity, and confusion, causing art to lose impact and messages to get lost in a sea of immateriality.

The kitchen sink, once a symbol of the ultimate effort, now stands as a reminder of its futility beyond its primary purpose. In an era of information overload, restraint and simplicity have instead become a craft, a quiet expression of maturity, confidence, and control.