NAUTICAL SAYINGS-THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
Saturday March 14th, 2009
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS
No nothing to do with football played on either side of the Atlantic. Nor indeed any form of sport whatsoever. The phrase used to describe giving it your everything is derived from square sailed ships. The sails were supported at the top, centre and bottom by wooden ‘yards’ that were attached at right angles to the masts. When a three-masted ship sailed with all three sails unfurled it was described at ‘going the whole nine yards’
