The belief is ancient, but it was first put on paper by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher in their play 'Cupid's Revenge' (1610), when they refered to certain women "as cold as cucumbers." The metaphor describes anyone self-possessed and unemotional. Cucumber, which derives from the Latin cucumir, was considered 'bookish' and commonly pronunced cowcumber in England in the early 19th century, the way Sara Gamp sait it in Dicken's 'Martin Chuzzlewit'. Roman Emperor Tiberius is said to have enjoyed the 'fruits' so much that he ordered them served to him every day, even they had to be grown in greenhouses out of season.
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| Cut into the chalk downs of Berkshire, England is the enormous crude outline of a galloping white horse covering some two acres. The figure possibly dates back to Saxon times, when a white horse was the emblem of Saxons invading Britain, and over the ages local residents have kept it clear of overgrowth. It is thought that this might be the source of the expression a horse of a different color, something of a different nature from what is under consideration, for the White Horse in Berkshire changes from green to white periodically when the locals clear grass and weeds from its outline. The Expression may, however, come from races in medieval tournaments, where armored knights were distinguished by the color of their horses. A favorite knight might have lost a race, leading one of his supporters to say "That's a horse of a different color" as the winner crossed the finish line. But both explanations are conjectures. The phrase is recorded in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Shakespeare using the expression as if it were quite familiar to his audience. |
A call for the meaning of the phrase same old seventy-six brought the following explanation from Colonel J.W. Bender (Ret.) of Alexandria, Virginia: |
For at least 30 years this expression has meant "all of it, everything," as in "Give me the whole nine yards." It did not arise in the garment business but among construction workers, the nine yards referring to the maximum capacity a cement-mixer truck can carry - nine cubic yards of cement. | ||
Addition received with thanks from OrionI disagree with your origin of the expression: "the whole nine yards". It originally came from Scotland. You have seen Scotsmen's kilts, worn as a skirt with a sporran. These are a later development than the original kilt (or "belted plaid") of the Scottish Highlanders. In the early years (starting around 1600), the Scotsman got up in the morning, took his (approximately) 2 yard X 4 1/2 yard (9 square yard) tartan (which was both his bedroll and clothing), put pleats in it to suit his girth, put his belt under it and lay on it, on his back. With the pleats reaching near the middle of his thigh, he took one side of the tartan and folded it over his middle, then the other side, then brought the belt around and fastened it at his waist. He then stood up and took all of the extra material hanging over the top of his belt, threw it over his shoulder (pinning it there) and (in most cases) fastened his belt around it. This was called the "whole nine yards" to distinguish it from the smaller tartan.Addition received with thanks from M.L. van WillAccording to a recent interview on CBC with a Celt, this expression is attributed to the fact that it should take nine yards of fabric to make a proper kilt and anything less is considered skimping and getting away with less than is respectable -- even though it may not be evident to the casual observer. (CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.) Addition received with thanks from Kim Thompson"I had heard that 'the whole nine yards' origionated in NY by garbage men as a measure of how much garbage a garbage truck would hold."
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| Addition received with thanks from Tony Padovano I have heard this expression is from World War II. It referred to the length of the ammo belts used in fighter planes in the Pacific theater. So, when a pilot would take off, his crew would often tell him "Give 'em the whole nine yards." | ||
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Addition received with thanks from Bruno Watson British Frigates of the 19th Century had 27' masts. Speed of the ship was regulated by the amount of sail raised. To achieve full speed, the 'whole nine yards' was hoisted. | ||
| Addition received with thanks from Kent Jaquith Another interpretation: Comes from medieval times when Monks would weave material to make their robes. Rather than making it up from 8 1/2 yards, they went the (extra yard) and ended up making the robes out of the whole nine yards. |
Kit, meaning a collection of anything, comes from the kit bag of a soldier, in which he had to carry all his belongings. The earliest record of its use is in England in 1785. Combined with boodle, it came to mean a collection of people. |
Can't see the forest for the treesA person who can't see the forest for the trees is one who is so concerned with trivial matters that he can't grasp the big problems. If he were a writer, for instance, he might be more concerned with getting every sentence precisely correct grammatically than working to make sure that the book as a whole impressed its readers the way he wanted it to. The expression first appeared in the works of Christoph Martin Weiland, a German poet and novelist, who wrote: "Too much light often blinds gentlemen of this sort. |
"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord."