"Whole Nine Yards" Origination

We often use the "whole nine yards" to mean all of something or all the way. The origin of this phrase is actually a bit of an enigma, but there are a few interesting stories about the origination of the phrase. 

One story that is often told about this phrase is that it comes from the capacity of a ready mix concrete truck. The truck holds enough concrete to complete nine yards of cement; hence the "whole nine yards."

A folklore researcher, Matthew Jetmore, is said to have put an end to this story, when he dug up some information from the August 1964 issue of Ready Mix Concrete Magazine.

“Whereas, just a few years ago, the 4.5 cubic yard mixer was definitely the standard of the industry, the average nationwide mixer size by 1962 had increased to 6.24 cubic yards, with still no end in sight to the demand for increased payload."

This measurement equals out to only about half the size of nine yards. 

Tales of War

Both World War II and the Vietnam War have been linked to the coining of this phrase. 

• During World War II, fighter pilots used .50 calibre machine gun ammunition belts measuring 27 feet long. Therefore, if they fired all of the ammunition at a target, it was said that they fired the "whole nine yards."
• In the Vietnam War, hill tribes from Vietnam known as the Montagnards joined the United States forces. It is said that there were nine of these tribes, and sometimes the United States would shorten their name to "yards." 

• Another story associated with the Vietnam War is that of Captain Richard Stratton, who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. He said that he heard it at the Naval Air Station in July, 1955, in Pensacola, Florida. He has stated that he heard it in connection to a fiery story of love between two fictional characters.