Saturday, 12 January 2008

The whole nine yards

The whole nine yards - everything; full measure

On a ship, square sails were supported at their tops and bottoms by wooden yards, which were attached at right angles to the masts. The ‘whole nine yards’ describes a three-masted ship sailing with all three major sails unfurled on each mast.

See http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/navalsayingsrz

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