Ever wonder where the expression "The whole nine yards" came from? I just found out that it came from WWII. The 50cal. ammo belts that fed a Mustangs guns were 27ft. long. If the pilot came back with all his ammo spent, he had given the enemy the "whole nine yards". Enjoy...Jake
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The whole nine yards
- Thread starter Jake
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And another
It is also that cement trucks held nine yards, so construction crews got a discount if you ordered "the whole nine yards"
Also , some suggest it is a football expression, where he went the "whole nine yards" for the first down.
I think that the true one was "I gave him the full nine yards", regarding the ammo belts. But you really couldn't do that for most pilots gave 2-3 second bursts, which is all the time they had in their gunsight. Also, firing the entire belt of ammo would severely overheat the guns. But it was a marvelous expression.... :cheers1:
It is also that cement trucks held nine yards, so construction crews got a discount if you ordered "the whole nine yards"
Also , some suggest it is a football expression, where he went the "whole nine yards" for the first down.
I think that the true one was "I gave him the full nine yards", regarding the ammo belts. But you really couldn't do that for most pilots gave 2-3 second bursts, which is all the time they had in their gunsight. Also, firing the entire belt of ammo would severely overheat the guns. But it was a marvelous expression.... :cheers1:
Doctor Strange
I'll Lock Up
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Actually, I always heard that this expression had to do with the amount of material (cloth) requireed to make a full-size riding cloak, or something like that.
A bit of poking around came up with this page addressing the origin of the term:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_252.html
Hmm, it looks like there's no definitive answer! I'll have to look some more...
A bit of poking around came up with this page addressing the origin of the term:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_252.html
Hmm, it looks like there's no definitive answer! I'll have to look some more...
I noticed that the last comment on the "straight dope' list was the military vesion. I'm still holding on to that one. About Andykevs' gun overheating comment, I was referring to the amount of ammo used during the course of the entire misson.
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If you look in Richard Lederer's book Anguished English or you talk to him directly then he will tell you that the term originated with the cement truck holding nine yards of concrete. He agrees with AndyK and so do I. I think it predates WWII because cement trucks a little before and after WWII held more that nine yards of concrete---if I remember correctly. My conversation with him concerning this was a while back now. 
Lederer has a Ph.D. in English and Linguistics and is an entomologist. I think I have to agree with him. Here is one of his columns on terms such as the whole nine yards and raining cats and dogs.
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/lederer022003.asp
You might also want to check out his website:
http://www.verbivore.com/
Don't mind his poor choice of hats.
Regards to all,
J
Lederer has a Ph.D. in English and Linguistics and is an entomologist. I think I have to agree with him.
Here is one of his columns on terms such as the whole nine yards and raining cats and dogs. http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0203/lederer022003.asp
You might also want to check out his website:
http://www.verbivore.com/
Don't mind his poor choice of hats.
Regards to all,
J
gandydancer
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Nine yards?
My understanding is that this goes back a thousand years or more. Hand woven cloth was a cloth-yard wide (27 to 28-1/2 inches) and made up in 9 yard bolts (when I read that explaination I wondered if that was cloth-yards or just yards). That was a limitation of the hand looms used back then. I think Harris tweed is still produced that way (though my sorces say a modern bolt of Harris tweed is 90 yards nowadays, still 28 inches wide however). So a bolt of cloth was the whole nine yards.
Now to figure out just where that citation was...
My understanding is that this goes back a thousand years or more. Hand woven cloth was a cloth-yard wide (27 to 28-1/2 inches) and made up in 9 yard bolts (when I read that explaination I wondered if that was cloth-yards or just yards). That was a limitation of the hand looms used back then. I think Harris tweed is still produced that way (though my sorces say a modern bolt of Harris tweed is 90 yards nowadays, still 28 inches wide however). So a bolt of cloth was the whole nine yards.
Now to figure out just where that citation was...
BellyTank
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No Strings...
I remember hearing the cement truck explanation before- it might have been close to the time the film of the same name appeared...
This discussion reminds me of the 'No strings attached' saying.
This one comes from the fabric and Tailoring world; typically finer or expensive fabrics/cloths would, if appropriate, have a thread or string through the selvedge, marking a flaw in the fabric, somewhere across the breadth of the fabric at the point indicated by the string. This was usually with 'first grade' cloth that has a minor but passable flaw in the weave- something that can be worked around- an acknowledgement or a nudge to the Tailor's demands on quality.
But if you asked for a length of cloth with 'no strings...' you meant no flaws but I guess it's more perceived to mean 'unconditional' today.
B
T
I remember hearing the cement truck explanation before- it might have been close to the time the film of the same name appeared...
This discussion reminds me of the 'No strings attached' saying.
This one comes from the fabric and Tailoring world; typically finer or expensive fabrics/cloths would, if appropriate, have a thread or string through the selvedge, marking a flaw in the fabric, somewhere across the breadth of the fabric at the point indicated by the string. This was usually with 'first grade' cloth that has a minor but passable flaw in the weave- something that can be worked around- an acknowledgement or a nudge to the Tailor's demands on quality.
But if you asked for a length of cloth with 'no strings...' you meant no flaws but I guess it's more perceived to mean 'unconditional' today.
B
T
gandydancer
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Usually the oldest explaination is most likely.
There is also the possibility that it refers to a "fully found" Ship (Ship specifically rather than ship generically) ready to sail. Originally a Ship was a three-master with three courses of square sails set on cross yards. So a fully found ship would come with 9 yards already set with sails. Although this seems more unlikely than the cloth bolt explaination because "fully found" is the proper nautical term for this.
One of the problems with tracing stuff like this is that the expressions could have come about independently in several trades. There is a tendency to want a clear and unabiguous answer when quite possibly there are none.
There is also the possibility that it refers to a "fully found" Ship (Ship specifically rather than ship generically) ready to sail. Originally a Ship was a three-master with three courses of square sails set on cross yards. So a fully found ship would come with 9 yards already set with sails. Although this seems more unlikely than the cloth bolt explaination because "fully found" is the proper nautical term for this.
One of the problems with tracing stuff like this is that the expressions could have come about independently in several trades. There is a tendency to want a clear and unabiguous answer when quite possibly there are none.
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