Yiddish-derived
slang for an unnecessarily
long and
elaborate story,
description or
report, more than the listener ever wanted to hear. Most frequent use:
the whole megillah. Sometimes used as a
synonym for
the whole enchilada or
the whole nine yards, although this is generally incorrect.
The word originates from the Hebrew megila, literally meaning scroll (as in a roll of paper or parchment). Mostly used in English to name the Scroll of Esther, a religious document which is read aloud during Purim.
Sometimes spelled as: magillah, megilla, magilla, megila, megile, etc.