Talk:The full monty

April 2007
As I understand the latest meaning of the term "The Full Monty", it refers to full frontal nudity as portrayed in one famous "Monty Python" episode in which an actress is standing totally naked at a news stand. The scene is short lived and had little to do with the skit. I presume the crew was trying to slip one by the censors. JFR — Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.136.164.35 (talk) 18:23, 13 April 2007 (moved from main page)

Origin of the word " monty"
Many english words in the field of cooking, love-making , toilette , perfumes , feminine underwear etc... come from the ( more or less deformed) french vocabulaire. For me " monty" comes obviously from the french " monté". A strip-tease joint owner advertising full-nudity sketches would of course prefer to hire actors who are " bien montés" ( i.e. in french : endowed with nice secondary sexual organs )   signed arapaima  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.164.81.114 (talk) 10:01, 14 January 2008 (UTC)

There are many theories, "el monte entero" from the Spanish is another contender. It would help trace the origin if there were some early written examples of the phrase, (there is anecdotal evidence of it being round for at least fifty years) but sadly none have yet come to light. pablo hablo. 16:22, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

The term Monty de Petey - an Anglicisation of Mont de Piété / Monte di Piéta - might also be implied in that these anti-usury Christian charitable outlets opposed the 'little bit off the top' of Jewish money-lenders. Here, as in the Monty Python and possibly General Montgomery's breakfast origins, the reference is lewd. 124.189.9.57 (talk) 05:42, 10 May 2012 (UTC) Ian Ison

The full Monty treatment
This reference is to the 1980s. The interviewee uses the phrase to refer to events forty years previously. The usage is thus from the 1980s and not the 1940s; he is not saying that the phrase was used then, he is using it "now". pablo hablo. 10:27, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

Capitalisation
The phrase should be capitalized only when it is the title of a movie or the name of a shop; simply as a phrase, it is lowercase, and the article should be retitled accordingly. Languagehat (talk) 13:44, 29 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I concur. Actually I think it should be at "The full monty", with the film article at "The Full Monty (film)", while we're at it.  pablo hablo. 14:36, 29 March 2010 (UTC)
 * I concur! Languagehat (talk) 15:48, 29 March 2010 (UTC)

Field Marshall Montgomery
In the 1950s I remember a BBC television series entitled 'The Desert War' which essentially was a series of lectures to camera by Field Marshall Montgomery with a blackboard, newsreel and official film. He said that when he arrived in North Africa the lorry drivers were usually stripped to the waist because of the heat. He issued a general order that troops not be seen 'half naked' (he emphasised that phrase). Some time later he saw a bare chested lorry driver, so he stopped the lorry and ordered the driver out. The driver was completely naked except for socks and boots. Monty smiled and said he could not charge him because, even though he was out of uniform, he had not breached the general order. He then went on to speculate as to whether that had contributed to the resurrection of the phrase 'The Full Monty' which soldiers had picked up from Australian Diggers during WW1. I have contacted the BBC but there is no surviving transcript of the program. Bebofpenge (talk) 08:25, 21 November 2010 (UTC)


 * IIRC, the term came into use because Montgomery, upon planning a battle, would use every item available to him, deception, diversion, massed artillery, bombers, tanks, infantry, special equipment, usually everything that could possibly contribute to the success of the battle. So if a battle was fought under him it got 'the full Monty' treatment, i.e., everything.
 * An example would be the the 1945 crossing of the Rhine — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.147.13 (talk) 21:39, 5 April 2014 (UTC)
 * An example would be the the 1945 crossing of the Rhine — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.7.147.13 (talk) 21:39, 5 April 2014 (UTC)


 * And I think I've read somewhere that it referred to his habit of eating a full English breakfast wherever he went.--2001:A61:3A69:A601:300D:1E58:D89E:AED2 (talk) 06:14, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Requested move

 * The following discussion is an archived discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section. 

The result of the move request was:  Page moved to Full monty (phrase), DAB page left alone - film is primary topic.  Ron h jones (Talk) 19:38, 26 August 2010 (UTC)

The Full Monty (phrase) → The full monty (phrase) — There is no reason for the capitals in the article about the phrase the disambig page should be the primary result for searching on the phrase "The Full Monty" The film needs to move to accommodate the move of the dab page. pablo 14:40, 18 August 2010 (UTC)


 * The Full Monty (disambiguation) → The Full Monty
 * The Full Monty → The Full Monty (film)


 * Oppose The Full Monty (disambiguation) → The Full Monty. Agree with proviso The Full Monty (phrase) → The full monty (phrase). While in general I support the disambiguation page being set as the default where there is any question whether the totality of other uses is a significant portion of the searches; in this case, owing to the popularity of the film and the relative decreasing to historical usage of the phrase prior to the film, it seems that the film has achieved the "supermajority" required to usurp the place of the disambiguation page.  I agree that the phrase "full monty" is not a proper noun and should be lower case.  I would disagree with continuing to preface it with the definite article, so would suggest instead: The Full Monty (phrase) → Full monty (phrase).  See, for example, the usage Relief would only be granted if Souths could prevail after a 'full monty', where market power rather than the overbreadth of the defendants' agreement would play the critical role. Competition and Consumer Law Journal Volume 12, page 85 (2004). --Bejnar (talk) 17:31, 18 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Fine with The Full Monty (phrase) → Full monty (phrase), it's a better title, but I'm having trouble with "the relative decreasing to historical usage of the phrase prior to the film" – if you're suggesting that the phrase was in decline prior to the film I don't see any evidence for that. pablo 18:52, 18 August 2010 (UTC)
 * Oppose The Full Monty (disambiguation) → The Full Monty. Support The Full Monty (phrase) → Full monty (phrase). The film still seems to be the primary topic.  Any reason why the dab page should be moved?  —   AjaxSmack   00:39, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
 * So that when people search for "The full monty" they are presented with a page showing the various pages that they could be seeking. pablo 15:08, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
 * And if 80% are seeking the film, why make them jump thorough that hoop? The other 20% can use the hatnote.  —   AjaxSmack   20:22, 19 August 2010 (UTC)
 * 80%? Are they? pablo 13:34, 23 August 2010 (UTC)
 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

Cockney Rhyming Slang
The Full Monty is Cockney Rhyming Slang for "The Full Story" or the whole thing. Monty is short for Montefiore (as in Moses Montefiore see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Montefiore ). The Full Montefiore = The Full Story. No complex etymology, just East End Traders trying to confuse foreigners :)

I don't want to update the main piece because I'm not familiar enough with wikipedia to adjust the entry safely, but hopefully someone can do the job better than I. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.158.188.2 (talk) 15:12, 14 September 2010 (UTC)


 * That's an interesting theory, and not one I'd heard before. Do you have any references to back it up? I'm dubious, partly because I've never heard it before, but also I can't think of why the word 'Montefiore' would be popular and well-known among east end traders. pablo 08:16, 15 September 2010 (UTC)
 * It is interesting. As Sherriff of London and as one of the wealthy Rothschild's clan he would have been widely known throughout London.  Any or all of these suggestions could be back constructions which have reinforced the popular use of the term. My recollection is that is an old soldiers' term used by WWI veterans, probably adopted from Australian slang when British and ANZAC soldiers fought together. As the listed sources are all suggestions I have added this one to the main page with appropriate links.Bebofpenge (talk) 04:49, 22 November 2010 (UTC)
 * It is interesting. As Sherriff of London and as one of the wealthy Rothschild's clan he would have been widely known throughout London.  Any or all of these suggestions could be back constructions which have reinforced the popular use of the term. My recollection is that is an old soldiers' term used by WWI veterans, probably adopted from Australian slang when British and ANZAC soldiers fought together. As the listed sources are all suggestions I have added this one to the main page with appropriate links.Bebofpenge (talk) 04:49, 22 November 2010 (UTC)

July 2017
The Full Monty is ONLY about Field Marshall Montgomery, my uncle served in the 51st Commando Regiment under his command in the Western Dessert, Libya, if you don't know the dates too bad. Monty was famous for wearing a black beret with two emblems, from his WWI tank days and the High Command General Service badge.

Forget about Demob suits, the Full Monty is his breakfast even in the hot as hell desert, the nights are freezing in any desert, so he ate well before sunrise and it was two fried eggs at least, 2 boiled eggs, for later, a lot of bacon, toast, fried tomatoes and if possible chips, if meat was available it would preferably be steak, but as a VERY practical man it could be horse or donkey rump, goat if someone shot one quick enough.

How do I know this? Apart from my uncle in the 51st Commando, my neighbour when I was a kid was his batman. Look it up, its an officers personal butler, but like the over dressed guards regiments still a fully professional soldier. He considered being Monty's batman as the highest point of his life.

Monty also like his major opponent wasn't scared to pick up a gun and let it go when needed, Rommel was cursed by the lack of equipment getting through by air from Italy, Sardinia and secretly from Spain.

We had the control of the seas, the Septics had their first taste of WW2 in North Africa, and in general screwed up, lost lots of boys straight out of training whereas the British, the under commented on brave Canadians and South Africans had been at this for three years. The desert where you can fry an egg on a shovel or anything iron or steel is not a pleasant firld of battle, but I prefer it to jungle CQB

Anyway, The Full Monty is a large breakfast that he was known for, and anyone you know who's been at the pointy end of the stick will do the same as you may not have a real meal for days or weeks....so bys, stuff yourself silly, tke two metal flasks of 10os of single malt scotch, and take as many rounds as you can carry, grenades and an FSB, a Smachet and a tri-bladed stilleto if you're in a unit that can get one, or buy it for yourself. I took a very cut down Victorian 20gauge double barrel over my right shoulder for awkward moments...it was loaded with lead balls and horrible carpet tacks. Nasty last resort weapon...but sometimes just fun to use.

Like all of us that have been at the pointy end of the stick Monty's batman went a bit off the rails later in life, that's why I won't beseach his name — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaxworld2525 (talk • contribs) 08:34, 18 July 2017 (UTC)