> Well I thought the etymology of that phrase is somewhat shrouded and wrapped in the mists of time, and there aren't many 18th century fashion couturiers alive with whom we could verify the facts with, so... well... Where *does* the "whole nine yards" really come from?

Well, there's a certain type of gun (I don't recall which) that fires belted ammunition, the total length of which is nine yards. This is an aircraft gun, by the way. When the pilots really wanted to blast the living snot (darling? Were you speaking of that?) out of their target, they would give it the "whole nine yards" of fire.