Where Did the Phrase ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ Come From?
Evidently, its origins also lie in the war.
The whole nine yards means —
- completely or thoroughly;
- something done all the way.
This phrase probably originated in the military. The bullets for the machine guns used in and after World War II were in long belts of nine yards, which is twenty-seven feet. When a soldier had fired all the bullets, he was said to have given the enemy the whole nine yards.
From there, this phrase began to be used for something done completely.
This expression is generally used in the sense of finishing out a list.
For e.g., —
“He has a toolkit with every kind of tool in all sizes — jacks, wrenches, screwdrivers — the whole nine yards.”
This example is self-explanatory. I have taken one more example —
“I love her very much. I can go the whole nine yards for her.” (Source: theidioms.com)
It means that I can go all the way for her. I can do anything for her.
I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.
Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.
