Where does the expression “the whole nine yards” come from? Even Walter Payton has to make ten yards for a first down. Since when does nine yards equal 100 percent effort? I trust your answer is not sexual. No enhancer I’ve ever seen advertised promises anything like that. –Russell Ewert, N. Magnolia
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One guy told me that the expression comes from the nautical term “yard,” meaning one of the horizontal poles that hold up the sails on a square-rigged sailing ship. A typical ship, he claimed, would have three masts with three yards apiece, or nine yards in all. A captain who had sent up all the canvas he could in order to squeeze out max velocity would thus be said to be giving it “the whole nine yards.” Maybe, but I doubt it. For one thing, sailing ships often had 12, 15, or even 18 yards. For another, “whole” in this context is a funny choice of words. “All nine yards” would make more sense.
Pending further illumination on that score, I have checked with several ready-mix companies, and they tell me that while drum size on concrete trucks varies (the drum is what holds the concrete), capacity generally ranges from seven to ten yards, with nine a rough average. In short, we could be onto something here. But I’m skeptical. I note that the ready-mix business dates back only to the late 40s and early 50s, so all we have to do to disprove the concrete theory–something disturbs me about that juxtaposition, but never mind–is to find an earlier citation. I shall endeavor to do so, but if the Teeming Millions want to help out, be my guest.
I think he’s kidding, but you never know with these Michiganders.
