Where did the phrase 'the whole 9 yards' come from and why?

Kainantu

Lengthy answer however... If you're hoping for a definitive answer, you'd better buy a crystal ball. I have to say straight away this is one of the great unsolved mysteries of modern etymology. I've seen references to the size of a nun's habit, the amount of material needed to make a man's three-piece suit, the length of a maharajah's ceremonial sash, the capacity of a West Virginia ore wagon, the volume of rubbish that would fill a standard garbage truck, the length of a hangman's noose, how far you would have to sprint during a jail break to get from the cellblock to the outer wall, the length of a standard bolt of cloth, the volume of a rich man's grave, or just possibly the length of his shroud, the size of a soldier's pack, the length of cloth needed for a Scottish 'great kilt', or some distance associated with sports or athletics, especially the game of American football. Yet another explanation is that it was invented by fighter pilots in the Pacific during World War II. It is said the .50 calibre machine gun ammunition belts in Supermarine Spitfires measured exactly 27 feet. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, they would say that it got 'the whole nine yards'. A merit of this claim is that it would explain why the phrase only began to be recorded after the War. http://www.quinion.com/words/articles/nineyards.htm It is said to have originated among construction workers The 'nine yards' is said to refer to the maximum capacity a cement-mixer truck can carry -- nine cubic yards of cement. This is disputed, however, as you will see at Dave Wilton's Etymology Page: http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorw.htm which offers several explanations. See also the article in the Straight Dope: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_252.html Sep 19 02, 4:09 AM

paganmagic

I've heard the one that says it was from the WWII pilots, but the first one I ever heard was that it came from the Scots about their kilts. That it took 9 yards of material for their kilts, cause they used them for everything from their clothing to their bedding when they were out with the herds. Oct 07 07, 10:37 PM