laundry list

Noun

laundry list (plural laundry lists)

1. (archaic) Originally, a list of articles of clothing that had been sent to be laundered.
   • Learn how to make out a laundry list and to check it when the laundry comes home.1920, Scouting for Girls: Official Handbook of the Girl Scouts, First Edition, The Girl Scouts, Inc., page 126
2. (broadly, idiomatic) A long and often tedious list of items.
   • Among the laundry list of inconveniences most of us can't abide: cold coffee, airport delays, the high price of gasoline.2007 July 31, Ceri Au, “Fighting for the Right to Flush”, in Time
   • The senior Liberal Democrat, echoing the private views of other senior figures across parties, said a daily "laundry list" sent out by the party headquarters contributes to the "diminution of individual expression or even thought in politics" as politicians are expected to repeat a positive central...2013 October 31, Rowena Mason, quoting David Steel, “Lord Steel criticises culture of spin and tweeting in modern politics”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   Synonyms:

   litany

3. (colloquial) An unrealistic list of skills, qualifications and experiences, as demanded by employers when hiring staff, or claimed by a candidate on a résumé.