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Discussion Groups / British English / June 2005The Full Nine Yards
I wonder, has the expression going the full nine yards popped up in British English usage yet? I've heard it on American radio 2 or 3 times recently, and once in a newsgroup message. It's in the context of, for example, He's going the full nine yards on this issue I intend to go the full nine yards on this one Irritatingly, I find myself unable to deduce the possible derivation of this phrase. Some sporting or athletic reference, maybe? 27 feet doesn't seem much of an achievement though, except maybe ina nose-pushing-pea contest . . . .  SignatureIan > I wonder, has the expression > going the full nine yards [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > -- > Ian The expression is the "whole nine yards." No one in America uses "full." Maybe you can change it when it gets to the UK. There are many theories as to its derivation (just google "whole nine yards"). The most likely, IMO, is that it is the length of an ammunition belt for an automatic weapon (machine gun). vorotyntsev@yahoo.com wrote: > > I wonder, has the expression > > going the full nine yards .... > The expression is the "whole nine yards." No one in America uses > "full." Maybe you can change it when it gets to the UK. There are many Yes - I believe it was 'whole'. > theories as to its derivation (just google "whole nine yards"). The > most likely, IMO, is that it is the length of an ammunition belt for an > automatic weapon (machine gun). Yeah, that one does seem to fit, thanks. SignatureIan > vorotyntsev@yahoo.com wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > > Yeah, that one does seem to fit, thanks. I agree. It's also like saying "the whole ball of wax". SignatureBest, Erick Andrews delete bogus to reply > The expression is the "whole nine yards." No one in America uses > "full." Maybe you can change it when it gets to the UK. There are many > theories as to its derivation (just google "whole nine yards"). The > most likely, IMO, is that it is the length of an ammunition belt for an > automatic weapon (machine gun). The whole nine yards is pretty long for any old machine gun. Certainly too unwieldy for use by the army. I heard that it was the length of the ammo belts of the guns in yankee bombers. > The expression is the "whole nine yards." No one in America uses > "full." Maybe you can change it when it gets to the UK. There are many > theories as to its derivation (just google "whole nine yards"). The > most likely, IMO, is that it is the length of an ammunition belt for an > automatic weapon (machine gun). Alas no one seems to know where the saying came from. The first known use appeared in a book in the 1960s, which tends to rule out a 1940s coining. Numerous discussions on alt.folklore.urban, at.usage.english and soc.history.world-war-ii have failed to identify the real etymology. Although we hate to admit it, some things are just lost to history. Cheers, George W. Russell Bangalore george.w.russell@gmail.com wrote: > > The expression is the "whole nine yards." No one in America uses > > "full." Maybe you can change it when it gets to the UK. There are many [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > George W. Russell > Bangalore OH, - coming across it three times in a couple of weeks, and new to me I assumed it was newly minted. SignatureIan > He's going the full nine yards on this issue > I intend to go the full nine yards on this one It's US hyperbole. The equivalent British phrase would be 'going the whole nine inches'. Paul Burke paul@scazon.com wrote: > It's US hyperbole. The equivalent British phrase would be 'going the > whole nine inches'. > > Paul Burke " Only in the mating season . . . ." (Spike Milligan) SignatureIan |
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