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the whole nine yards
" Sure, you can mix the flour, baking soda, salt, shortening, and the whole nine yards, but why wouldn't you just pull out a box of Bisquick?"
Sandra Lee

Meaning of "the whole nine yards" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

PRONUNCIATION OF THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

the whole nine yards


WHAT DOES THE WHOLE NINE YARDS MEAN IN ENGLISH?

The whole nine yards

The whole nine yards or full nine yards is a colloquial American phrase meaning "everything, the whole lot" or, when used as an adjective, "all the way," as in, "The Army came out and gave us the whole nine yards on how they use space systems." Its origin is unknown and has been described as "the most prominent etymological riddle of our time." The earliest known example of this phrase is from 1907 in southern Indiana. It is related to the expression "the whole six yards," used around the same time in Kentucky and South Carolina. Both phrases are variations on the whole ball of wax, first recorded in the 1880s. They are part of a family of expressions in which an odd-sounding item, such as enchilada, shooting match, shebang or hog, is substituted for "ball of wax." The choice of the number nine may be related to the expression "to the nines". The phrase was introduced to a national audience by Elaine Shepard in the Vietnam War novel The Doom Pussy. Use of the phrase became widespread in the 1980s and 1990s.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

the wharves · the wheel · the Wheel Blacks · the wherewithal · the which · the while · the whip hand · the white · the White House · the whole boiling · the whole kit · the whole shoot · the whole shooting match · the wild · the Wild Geese · the Wilderness · the willies · the Windies · the Windy City · the wire

WORDS THAT END LIKE THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

afterwards · backwards · billiards · boards · cards · Edwards · Guards · hard yards · hazards · house of cards · keyboards · on the cards · onwards · put in the hard yards · regards · rewards · Richards · standards · towards · upwards

Synonyms and antonyms of the whole nine yards in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «the whole nine yards» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF THE WHOLE NINE YARDS

Find out the translation of the whole nine yards to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of the whole nine yards from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «the whole nine yards» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

整个九码
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

los nueve metros
570 millions of speakers
en

English

the whole nine yards
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

पूरे नौ गज की दूरी पर
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

كله تسعة أمتار مربعة
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

все девять ярдов
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

toda a nove metros
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

পুরো নয়টি গজ
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

tout le bataclan
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

Seluruh sembilan meter
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

Keine halben Sachen
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

隣のヒットマン
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

전체 구야드
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Kabeh sangang yard
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

trong chín bãi
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

மொத்த ஒன்பது முற்றங்கள்
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

संपूर्ण नऊ गज
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

Dokuz metre boyunca
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

il tutto nove metri
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

Jak ugryźć
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

всі дев´ять ярдів
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

tot tacâmul
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

το σύνολο εννέα ναυπηγεία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

die hele nege meter
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

hela nio varv
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hele ni meter
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of the whole nine yards

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «THE WHOLE NINE YARDS»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of the whole nine yards
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «the whole nine yards».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about the whole nine yards

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «THE WHOLE NINE YARDS»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word the whole nine yards.
1
Portia Doubleday
Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They weren't wanting to necessarily support an acting career; it's a really fickle business, and it can be difficult and unstable. They were rooting for education and the whole nine yards.
2
Sandra Lee
Sure, you can mix the flour, baking soda, salt, shortening, and the whole nine yards, but why wouldn't you just pull out a box of Bisquick?

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «THE WHOLE NINE YARDS»

Discover the use of the whole nine yards in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to the whole nine yards and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Whole Nine Yards
Storm finds his adolescent years dominated by his obsessive pursuit of romance.
Dallin Malmgren, 1986
2
The Whole Nine Yards: Longer Poems
Presents a collection of poems that explore violence in realistic, gothic, and comic modes.
Daniel Hoffman, 2009
3
The Whole Nine Yards
Landscape architect Domenic Corso accepts a dare from his fellow Pittsburgh Steeler fanatic, Lynne Stanford, to get married as a means of securing tickets to the play-offs, a charade that becomes more than a game. Original.
Donna Valentino, 1998
4
Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the ...
The Whole Nine Yards HEN YOU LOOK AT THE MAIN-LEVEL floor plan for the upgrade version of the 1999 LIFE Dream House (known by the architects at SALA as the Whole Nine Yards house), you can see the generic similarity to the basic ...
Sarah Susanka, 2002
5
Vested Outsourcing, Second Edition: Five Rules That Will ...
Going the whole nine yards reflects a relationship that is collaborative, symbiotic, and mutually beneficial. As businesses find themselves at an inflection point between conventional outsourcing models and Outsourcing 2.0, we believe more  ...
Kate Vitasek, Mike Ledyard, Karl Manrodt, 2013
6
The New York Times Film Reviews 1999-2000
It's an intricate sprawl of a plot, "The Whole Nine Yards," with hit men, love interests (Jimmy's ex-wife, played by Natasha Henstridge, is part of the story, too), large sums of money and allegiances constantly in motion. The mountainous Michael ...
New York Times Theater Reviews, 2001
7
At the Eleventh Hour: And Other Expressions about Money and ...
The WHOLE NINE YARDS It was taco salad day in the lunchroom. Yum! But Owen was annoyed by classmates who held up the line with special requests. “ No tomatoes on mine,” said Gudahi. “Extra lettuce,” insisted Ashley. hamburger,” said ...
Bridget Heos, 2012
8
101 Things You Say All the Time
I'm going for the whole nine yards.” Three possible origins: (Choose one.) 1.) 2.) 3.) In the NFL title game of 1940, the Washington Redskins had the ball inside the ten-yard line of their opponent with less than two minutes to play. They were ...
Charles Adams, 2011
9
The One Year Devotions for Men on the Go
The phrase the whole nine yards ma\ have originated among fighter pilots serving in the South Pacific during World War II. The pilots' warplanes were armed with .50-caliber machine guns that reportedly used ammunition belts measuring ...
Stephen Arterburn, Bill Farrel, 2013
10
No Uncertain Terms: More Writing from the Popular "On ...
Its replacement in the past generation had been the whole nine yards. No, this had nothing to do with football (you need ten yards, not nine, for a first down) or material for a wedding dress. Diligent research, buttressed by many letters from ...
William Safire, 2004

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «THE WHOLE NINE YARDS»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term the whole nine yards is used in the context of the following news items.
1
'Halfworlds' goes the whole nine yards
Expectations are running high for the latest HBO Asia original production dubbed as the most ambitious yet for the Singapore-based network, as well as the ... «Jakarta Post, Jul 15»
2
Surat sari traders go the whole nine yards for Modi — for Bihar
For Narendra Modi's electoral effort, Surat sari traders are again going the whole nine yards. As the Bihar Assembly polls draw near, the saris sold by these ... «The Indian Express, Jul 15»
3
Centre County has the whole nine yards Penn State, festivals …
State College recently was ranked as the 14th best town in which to live in the country, in part, because of the wide variety of fun things to do. Of course, visitors ... «Altoona Mirror, Jul 15»
4
Justice Department Says It's Looking Into Possible Airline Price Fixing
“I want them to look at the whole nine yards. They should certainly look if they're limiting capacity. But they should also look at price competition. Why aren't they ... «CBS Local, Jul 15»
5
Vet center provides 'whole nine yards'
Lafayette Veterinary Care Center has been under the full-time direction of ... to daycare, to veterinary services, the whole nine yards," Kristin Plauche said. «The Daily Advertiser, Jun 15»
6
City of Calgary goes the whole nine yards on Shouldice Athletic Park
It's a touchdown for football in the City of Calgary. The City of Calgary announced, in a release Friday, plans to proceed with phase 3 of the Shouldice Athletic ... «MetroNews Canada, May 15»
7
More than a 'Trait': New model agency offers the whole nine yards
Even though Traits Model Management agency has only been in operation a few weeks shy of a year, it has managed to create a quite a buzz. Managing ... «Stabroek News, Apr 15»
8
The Whole Nine Yards at a Mouse Click
Imagine buying hand-woven Sambalpuri silk, Ikat and Tussar saris on your smartphone or browsing through a variety of handmade home textile fabrics sitting at ... «The New Indian Express, Mar 15»
9
2016 Kia Sorento: the whole nine yards
Might as well get it out of the way right now; there are a lot of versions of the 2016 Kia Sorento. Specifically, there are five. On paper, that doesn't seem so bad. «AutoGo.ca, Feb 15»
10
Budget session: Nine months on, NDA should go the whole nine yards
The season of change is upon us. The icy chill of Delhi's winter, which though once glorious but today shrouds the city under a toxic cocktail of pollution and ... «Hindustan Times, Feb 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. The whole nine yards [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/the-whole-nine-yards>. May 2024 ».
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