Home › Glossary › Letter N

No stone unturned

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To search thoroughly and exhaustively, leaving nothing unchecked.

Detailed Definition
Attributed to Euripides, via Lycurgus’ command to find a traitor. In poetry, it depicts obsessive quests—love, truth, justice. Detective or archaeological metaphors suit modern investigative verse; classical allusions elevate it. The geological image (stones as obstacles) implies persistence against resistance. Poets use it to show devotion: “I turned every stone for you”—making effort tangible. Its completeness contrasts partial knowledge, ideal for poems where revelation requires total commitment, honoring diligence as moral virtue in uncovering hidden realities.
Example
Example in poetry:
Detective poem: “Searched attic to cellar—no stone unturned for missing will”; Grief process: “Read every letter, played every voicemail—no stone unturned in memory”; Scientific quest: “Lab notebooks filled—no stone unturned in cure for her disease”; Historical research: “Archives scoured—no stone unturned to clear his name”.
Additional Notes
Attributed to Euripides, via Lycurgus’ command to find a traitor. In poetry, it depicts obsessive quests—love, truth, justice. Detective or archaeological metaphors suit modern investigative verse; classical allusions elevate it. The geological image (stones as obstacles) implies persistence against resistance. Poets use it to show devotion: “I turned every stone for you”—making effort tangible. Its completeness contrasts partial knowledge, ideal for poems where revelation requires total commitment, honoring diligence as moral virtue in uncovering hidden realities or buried histories.
Also Known As
Leave no stone unturned Exhaust every option
Skip to main content