Jump to content

Menu

"The whole nine yards"


Granny_Weatherwax
 Share

Recommended Posts

Without Googling or doing an internet search...

 

What do you believe is the origin of this saying?

 

It was referenced in a book I began reading today and was accompanied by a brief history of the phrase. I am surprised that it had nothing to do with what I thought it was referencing.

 

I'll share in a bit what the book says and what I believed.

Edited by Scoutermom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When it's used like "She went the whole nine yards." I've thought it meant she went above and beyond and did everything possible in order to get the job done. 

 

The fabric reference made sense to me. I thought that maybe 9 yards of fabric was a standard for making dresses at some point in history and using all 9 yards meant the dress was full and fashionable and something remarkable.

 

Or that it was some obscure golf reference...I don't play golf but for some reason have always thought the phrase might have to do with putting and how far to hit the golf ball.

 

 

The book's reference is about neither of those.

 

ETA: spelling of golf ball; although for some people it is a gold ball

Edited by Scoutermom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You said no google or internet, so I looked it up in a book!  Ha!  (The Facts on File: Dictionary of Cliches)  

 

According to the book, the original reference is considered "lost", but there are actually three theories about the original meaning.  I won't post them yet.  I'll wait until more people have posted their guesses.  

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You said no google or internet, so I looked it up in a book!  Ha!  (The Facts on File: Dictionary of Cliches)  

 

According to the book, the original reference is considered "lost", but there are actually three theories about the original meaning.  I won't post them yet.  I'll wait until more people have posted their guesses.  

Loopholes.  :)

 

I wonder if this book's origin story is one of the three. I can't wait to find out.

 

Thank you for not sharing yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband's uncle once said something about having to do with concrete ... that 9 yards was a full truck of concrete.  Which was then extrapolated to meant going all out.  But, then again, he was a concrete finisher and was actually not correct about 9 yards being a full truck (10 cubic yards.)  Off to do some internet sleuthing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, since all the theories in my book have been guessed, I'm going to go ahead and post the entry (from "The Facts on File Dictionary of Cliches")

 

whole nine yards, the - The entire distance; the whole thing. 

The source of this term has been lost, but as usual there are several etymological theories. 

The following were suggested by William Safire’s correspondents:

- nine yards once constituted the entire amount put onto a bolt of cloth, and for an ornate garment, the “whole nine years†would be used;

- the standard large cement mixer holds nine yards of cement, and a big construction job would use up the “whole nine yardsâ€;

- in a square-rigged, three-masted sailing ship, of former times, each mast carried three “yards†(the spars supporting the sails), and the expression “whole nine yards†would mean that the sails were fully set (three masts holding three yards each would make nine yards).

Edited by Suzanne in ABQ
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fabric. A big, Fancy dress, using “the whole nine yardsâ€.

 

ETA: I went back and read the replies and maize’s link. I see I’m not the only one who has absorbed this explanation from somewhere at some point in time.

Edited by fraidycat
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This brings me back to the early 80s and my sophomore English teacher (yes, I was in high school in the early 80s) who had a total love affair with William Safire. I remember taking up an entire class period talking about "the whole nine yards." And, I still don't remember where it came from. I think Safire wrote multiple columns on it. I recall something military sticking in my mind.... now I will have to go look it up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It always comes back around to kilts around here, lol.

The kilt idea is odd, because you would expect a Scots or Scottish Gaelic phrase, not an English one, if it was a widely used phrase.

Here's an article on varying fabric usage.http://www.tartansauthority.com/resources/archives/the-archives/newsome/kilts-and-yardage/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Years ago at the county fair we decided to watch the animal competitions. One was for horses to show their strength by pulling a heavy load "the whole nine yards." Those that succeeded could move up in the contest with heavier loads. The emcee said these old-time contests were the origin of the saying. I've never bothered to check that; we didn't have internet back then. ðŸ˜

Edited by Cinder
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's interesting to learn that there are so many origin stories. I guess I will have to subscribe to the "no one knows" category.

 

Here's the story from my current book:

 

"The term "the whole nine yards" came from World War Two fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at the target, it got "the whole nine yards"."

 

The above assumes the phrase wasn't used until WW2. If it was used before that, as shown through Maize's links, then this is just a good story.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't post links, but if you google "the whole nine yards" and "New York Times", the article (Dec 26, 2012) includes a lot of the popular theories, and some additional information about usages earlier in time that referred to "the whole seven yards".  Which calls into question some of the theories that hinge around the number 9.  There is a follow up article (Part 2 of sorts), same newspaper, following week. 

 

All of it is inconclusive at best.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found it interesting that usage picked up in the Vietnam War era; at that point I would think it must have lost most association with fabric if that is indeed where it started.

 

Colloquialisms are hard to track because they don't make it into print very often.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...