What is the origin of the expression the whole nine yards?

Answer 1

The whole nine yards means "the complete list" or "the full amount".Ammo referenceThe whole nine yards refers to the fact that warplanes used to carry 27 feet of ammunition as a basic load. It is a pilot term "I gave him the whole 9 yards" referring to the fact that they unloaded everything they had on a target. It is also a movie about a hitman with Bruce Willis in it. Concrete referenceMost cement trucks -- properly called concrete trucks -- contain nine yards -- actually cubic yards -- of concrete. If you delivered the "whole nine yards," you delivered the entire load. So, the term is synonymous with "everything

Answer 2

A vast number of explanations have been given for this phrase, which has been described as the greatest unsolved problem in etymology. The most commonly given explanation is that there was some type of machine gun, possibly mounted on an aircraft, that had ammunition belts that were nine yards long. When he expended all the ammo on a target, the gunner would supposedly say, "They got the whole nine yards." There are many versions of this story and no agreement regarding type of airplane, nationality of gunner, or even whether the expression originated in World War I (1914-1918) or World War II (1939-1945). Although this explanation has been debunked many times, it remains highly popular. Ammo belts are usually measured in rounds, sometimes in weight. So a gunner would not normally know how many yards long a given belt was. The ammo belt explanation first appears in print in 1984, long after both wars.

The phrase "the whole nine yards" first appears in print in 1962. Most of the early references relate to the U.S. Air Force or to NASA. But they aren't about ammo belts, nor do they suggest any other obvious explanation. But the Air Force pilots at that time did have a dirty joke in which "nine yards" refers to the length of a mythical Scotsman's.....you know what.

Here is an interesting debate on the subject - click the link below.
I've been told it comes from the gunners on the flying fortresses in world war II. The total length on their belts of ammunition for their machine guns was 9 yards. They'd say after a ferocious batlle "we gave 'em the whole 9 yards."

Answer 3

The whole nine yards, I've read, refers to world war one. When there was a massive charge inter-trench, it was so bad they used the "whole nine yards" which was how long the belt was for the machine gun, i'd figure the browning? not sure on make.

looking for references now.....

http://www.phrases.org.UK/meanings/the-whole-nine-yards.HTML

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_whole_nine_yards

places it in ww2, and references that the belt was 27 feet long.

Answer 4

It's a saying that comes from one of two stories: 1.) Concrete trucks hold 9 cubic yards of concrete when the load is full. When purchasing concrete if you were to buy 7 or 8 yards, it was often said that it would be cheaper to buy "the whole 9 yards". 2.) In military weapons, the length of bullet strands that go into machine guns are known to be 9 yards in length. When in combat they would yell "give 'em the whole 9 yards!" --You choose :)

Answer 5

everything, all of it, complete, to the end. Many suggestions have been made regarding the origin of this phrase.