All the way; with everything done completely or thoroughly.
Etymology:
- During WWII, U.S. Airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they would shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs. These belts were folded into the wing compartments that fed their machine guns. These belts measure 27 feet and contained hundreds of rounds of bullets. Often times, the pilots would return from their missions having expended all of their bullets on various targets. They would say, I gave them the whole nine yards, meaning they used up all of their ammunition.
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Submitted on July 23, 2010
Additional definitions for 'the whole nine yards':
the whole nine yards | And everything. Often used, like etc., to finish out a list. |
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Nearby phrases
Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to the whole nine yards
there arethe word is gothe wheels came offthe way to a man's heart is through his…the wheel turnsthe whistle doesn't pull the trainthe whole shooting matchthe whole world and his dogthe upper handthem's the factsthe whistle does not pull the trainthe wheels fell off the busthen againthe wheels came off the bus
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"the whole nine yards." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2019. Web. 12 Dec. 2019. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/the-whole-nine-yards_7435>.