armed to the teeth

Possessing many weapons. They thought the criminal only had a knife, but he was actually armed to the teeth. A lot of these preppers are armed to the teeth to protect their stockpiles of food.

Fig. heavily armed with deadly weapons. The bank robber was armed to the teeth when he was caught. There are too many guns around. The entire country is armed to the teeth.

having many and powerful weapons Some of these gangs are armed to the teeth.

Overly well equipped or prepared, as in With her elaborate gown and makeup, she was armed to the teeth for her first New York appearance . The expression to the teeth meant "well equipped" in the 14th century, when knights often wore head-to-foot armor. The idiom, however, only gained currency in the mid-1800s, at first still applied to weapons or other military equipment. Today it is used still more figuratively.