Quotation

[loadsafranks]

Where does saying 'All ends up' originate

[Quizmonster]

It probably came from a game such as bowls - the Sir Francis Drake type - which involve playing from one end to the other of a pitch, then turning around and playing back again. The score is noted after each 'end' and the total reached when all the 'ends' have been played. If you are 'up' at the conclusion of each and every 'end', then obviously you've trounced your opponent..."all ends up".

Another possibility is that it may relate to cricket, in which a bowler may send all three wickets tumbling, thus showing their 'ends' torn from the ground.

[loadsafranks]

Thanks - I favour the cricket root - it seems to be used in commentaries of the game - I have never heard it during a commentary of a bowls match.