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From: wildbill@ucbvax.ARPA (William J. Laubenheimer)
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: Anyone know where this saying came from?
Message-ID: <4341@ucbvax.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 23-Jan-85 19:42:50 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.4341
Posted: Wed Jan 23 19:42:50 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 24-Jan-85 08:21:39 EST
References: <39@gitpyr.UUCP>
Reply-To: wildbill@ucbvax.UUCP (William J. Laubenheimer)
Distribution: net
Organization: University of California at Berkeley
Lines: 19
Summary: 

>How about the saying "the whole nine yards"?
>Does anyone know what it was derived from?
>
>I mean, shouldn't that be 10 yards?
>-- 
>Roy J. Mongiovi.	Office of Computing Services.		User Services.

I remember reading about this not too long ago [in a galaxy somewhere
in the neighborhood]. As it was explained then, the term comes from
the building trades, and refers to the fact that a typical load of
concrete contains 9 cubic yards. This sounds like about the right
amount for a truckful to me, so I can't complain. So, to ask for "the
whole nine yards" would mean you wanted "the works". As to why yards,
rather than some other measurement, it seems you buy concrete by the
cubic yard, and this is simply known as a "yard" in the business.

                                        Bill Laubenheimer
----------------------------------------UC-Berkeley Computer Science
     ...Killjoy went that-a-way--->     ucbvax!wildbill