| Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!!Wolfspirit, on host 216.13.40.188 Wednesday, October 20, 1999, at 05:57:32
 Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!! posted by Howard on Wednesday, October 20, 1999, at 02:53:41:
 > > >> > > Wolfspirit
 > > >
 > > > "23 skid... huh?"
 > >
 > > That's right.  Don't think about it, move along, nothing to see here.
 > >
 > > Stephen
 
 Bah.  I've got Toydarian blood; your stupid Jedi mind tricks will not work on meeeee.
 
 
 > I agree with the nine yards of machine gun bullets.
 >
 > I also agree with the three loose ropes, but I've never been able to figure out why a rope is called a sheet.
 
 Howard, do you mean that you agree with Brunnen-G's nautical "whole 9 yards" explanation... or do you mean that you agree with the "3 sheets to the wind" explanation?
 
 I still respectfully disagree with the ammo box explanation.  The original phrase, before it got mutated, was "GOING the whole 9 yards," and not "Giving the..." or "Using the..." entire 27 feet of bullets.  I know, the bullets description sounds much more exciting.  But like I said, the origins of the expression are currently lost in the shrouds of time.
 
 Of course, anyone can provide proof by locating the earliest possible newspaper/bulletin/book reference giving the phrase in its proper context.
 
 
 > But 23 skiddo came from a New Years party in 1923 where some drunk welcomed in 1924 by yelling "23 skiddo." And that's the truth, dagnabit.
 
 I believe ya, gosh durn it.  Thankee-san.
 |