How did "the works" come to mean "everything"? [closed]

What is the etymology of "the works" meaning "everything", as in "a pizza with the works"?

Solution 1:

The expression is from AmE slang:

From American Heritage Dictionary:

the works

Everything, the full range of possibilities, as in He ordered a pizza with the works, or All right, tell me, give me the works on it. This usage derives from works in the sense of "a complete set of parts for a machine or mechanism." [Colloquial; late 1800s]

From Green’s Dictionary of Slang

the works:

1899–1900 [US] C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 133: Costumes, street apparel, and the whole works for the presentation of ‘Shakespearian repertoire.’.

1906 [US] C. M’Govern Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds 24: Oi [...] had de whole works clamped tight around his head.