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Author Topic: Trivia #3  (Read 619 times)

Offline monteini

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Trivia #3
« on: October 28, 2005, 10:25:21 AM »
What is the aeronautical origination of the expression, "the whole nine yards"?
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Offline Widewing

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Re: Trivia #3
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2005, 10:54:30 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by monteini
What is the aeronautical origination of the expression, "the whole nine yards"?


Before anyone answers this, please go here first......

My regards,

Widewing
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My regards,

Widewing

YGBSM. Retired Member of Aces High Trainer Corps, Past President of the DFC, retired from flying as Tredlite.

Offline monteini

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Trivia #3
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2005, 10:56:41 AM »
Thats why I said the aeronautical origination of the expression.
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Offline Treize69

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Trivia #3
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2005, 04:14:16 PM »
Haven't looked at the link, but if you burned all of your ammo in a fight, you went the "whole nine yards"- the ammo belts (I forget which plane it started with) were 9 yards long.
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Treize (pronounced 'trays')- because 'Treisprezece' is too long and even harder to pronounce.

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Offline superpug1

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Trivia #3
« Reply #4 on: October 30, 2005, 03:10:07 PM »
was it how long the launch ramp was for the wright flyer? but i dunno.
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Offline FTJR

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Trivia #3
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2005, 10:09:00 PM »
Never heard of it as an aeronautical expression. I presumed it had something to do with American footbal :)
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Offline Krusty

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Trivia #3
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2005, 10:32:12 PM »
Not this urban legend again!?!?!?

God.. I'm sick of this one. It's NOT from WW2 folks! It's not!!
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Offline Krusty

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Trivia #3
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2005, 10:34:02 PM »
Quote
Originally posted by FTJR
Never heard of it as an aeronautical expression. I presumed it had something to do with American footbal :)


That's got my vote for "most likely" because it comes from a time (late 60s) when football was on the rise.
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Offline monteini

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Trivia #3
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2005, 08:27:58 AM »
ANSWER.

The machine guns of a P-51 Mustang were fed by ammunition belts that were 27 feet long. After a pilot emptied his guns on a target, he would say that he "gave 'em the whole nine yards"

Test Pilot- 1,001 things you thought you knew about aviation. Berry Schiff .. Aviation supplies & Academics,. inc Newcastle, washington 2001
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Offline Krusty

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Trivia #3
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2005, 10:58:53 AM »
Correction: The phrase never turned up anywhere, ever, until the 60s/70s. There is no documentation that it showed up sooner, from what I've read.
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