<html><body> <DIV>I heard that ww2 fighter pilots had 27' of ammo belts--hence the 'whole 9 yards'</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">-------------- Original message -------------- <BR>From: Thomas Cole <tcole@cruzio.com> <BR><BR>> gordon stelter wrote: <BR>> <BR>> >P.S. Unless someone knows otherwise, I believe "to the <BR>> >nines" may be a "hipster" permutation of "the whole <BR>> >nine yards", the amount of cloth needed to make monks' <BR>> >robes. "Going the "whole nine yards" " meant "fully <BR>> >committed", as in when one leaves "the world" to join <BR>> >a monastery. <BR>> > <BR>> <BR>> Gordon, you may be alluding to "Dressed up to the nines", meaning <BR>> elaborately or overly dressed, ten being absolute perfection. <BR>> </BLOCKQUOTE></body></html>