Here’s The Whole Nine Yards On The Expression ‘The Whole Nine Yards’

I was in the Eastside Wal-Mart the other day and during the time I was there, I heard the expression...'The Whole Nine Yards'. One person even asked where the expression comes from which prompted me to do some research. The ultimate meaning of the phrase is the whole thing, everything, but the origin of the phrase remains somewhat of a mystery. One of the most common explanations is that gunners in WWII would give them 'the whole nine yards', firing an aircraft's entire ammunition belt which is generally thought to be nine yards long. The problem with this theory is that ammunition is usually measured in rounds and not the length of the belt.

It is also thought the term comes from cement mixers. Nine yards is said to be the cubic measurement of a fully loaded cement mixer, but cement mixers were much smaller in the 1960's and none of the early references make mention of cement or even construction for that matter.

Other explanations include sailing ship masts, bridal veils, bolts of cloth and burial shrouds with bolts of cloth making the most sense.

One common and accepted explanation has to do with the clothing industry. It is a term supposedly used by tailors when making reference to a custom-made suit. Some say it takes exactly nine yards of material to make a complete man's three-piece suit. Which means a tailor would use 'the whole nine yards' making that suit if it's tailored to the hilt including being double-lined. Anything short of nine yards would mean certain alterations.

There is no consensus on the actual origin of the phrase and it has nothing

to with football, which has been suggested, but that much we know for sure. Hope this helps.