Message Forum: Re: The whole nine yards

Re: The whole nine yards

Posted By: Paul A., on host 130.95.128.6
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 1999, at 17:54:48
In Reply To: Re: The whole nine yards posted by Mousie on Tuesday, October 19, 1999, at 17:20:59:

> My boss steadfastly maintains that machine gun bullets, or some such wartime ammunition, used to
> come in lengths of 9 yards, hence.....

"The term, 'the whole 9 yards' came from W.W.II fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When aircraft were being armed on the ground, it was found that an ammo belt containing enough .50 caliber machine gun ammo to completely fill the ammo boxes in the wings measured exactly 27 feet in length. So, if the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got 'the whole 9 yards.'"

Replies To This Message

Re: The whole nine yards - Mousie - Tue, 10/19/1999, 17:57:45
- Re: The whole nine yards - Wolfspirit - Tue, 10/19/1999, 18:28:01
  - Re: The whole nine yards - Brunnen-G - Tue, 10/19/1999, 18:33:47
    - Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!! - Wolfspirit - Tue, 10/19/1999, 19:02:52
      - Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!! - Stephen - Tue, 10/19/1999, 22:50:04
        
        Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!! - Howard - Wed, 10/20/1999, 02:53:41
        
        Secret Origins of The Whole Nine Yards - Faux Pas - Wed, 10/20/1999, 07:20:50
        
        Re: Secret Origins of The Whole Nine Yards - flamingpieman - Tue, 3/21/2000, 22:22:12
        
        23 Skidoo - Faux Pas - Wed, 10/20/1999, 06:46:27
        
        Re: 23 Skidoo. Shoo, fly - Wolfspirit - Wed, 10/20/1999, 10:23:34
        
        Re: 23 Skidoo. Shoo, fly - Howard - Wed, 10/20/1999, 16:12:30
        
        Flatiron in LONDON?! - Wolfspirit - Wed, 10/20/1999, 16:26:21
        
        Re: Flatiron in LONDON?! - Howard - Wed, 10/20/1999, 16:55:59
        
        Re: 86 the 23 Skidoo - Faux Pas - Wed, 10/20/1999, 11:50:25
        
        Re: 86 the 23 Skidoo - Kelly - Wed, 10/20/1999, 13:49:49
        
        Re: 86 the 23 Skidoo - Kelly - Wed, 10/20/1999, 14:43:52
        
        Re: 86 the 23 Skidoo - Darien - Wed, 10/20/1999, 14:49:28
        
        Re: 86 the 23 Skidoo - Kelly - Wed, 10/20/1999, 15:04:31
        
        Re: 86 the 23 Skidoo - Darien - Wed, 10/20/1999, 15:44:20
        
        Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!! - Wolfspirit - Wed, 10/20/1999, 05:57:32
        
        Re: Going the whole nine yards... Yeah!! - Darien - Wed, 10/20/1999, 14:52:48
        
        Skedaddle - Wolfspirit - Wed, 10/20/1999, 06:08:09
        
        Re: Skedaddle - Dracimas - Wed, 10/20/1999, 07:16:05
        
        Re: Skedaddle - Chris - Thu, 10/21/1999, 19:51:49
        
        I've got them Millennial blues... - Faux Pas - Wed, 10/20/1999, 07:41:44
        
        Re: I've got them Millennial blues... - Dracimas - Wed, 10/20/1999, 09:42:28