> The origin of the phrase "The Whole Nine Yards" is unknown.
>
...[snip]

> Cement Trucks -- Giving it the whole nine yards was to use the total capacity of a cement trucks. In the early 1960s (in what is considered to be the early lifetime of this expression), a cement trucks had the capacity of four and a half to six and a half cubic meters. In the late 1980s, the average capacity of a cement truck was about nine cubic yards.
>

this one is off a bit... i worked in construction in the late 60's and i know that a cement truck back then could hold 9 yards... as a matter of fact, that was the standard capacity, although they often would over-load them to save trips. (don't tell nobody... ya hear?)