Whole Nine Yards (1855)

[Stephen Goranson]

If it existed in 1855, so be it. But. What does the collocation mean there?
Could you Barry or someone please provide the context (of the first quote;
the second one seems irrelevant) for those of us not registered at that
archive? Thanks.
Stephen Goranson


Quoting Bapopik at AOL.COM:


> WHOLE NINE YARDS
> ...
> I think this solves it. "The whole nine yards"  dates from the Vietnam War,
> in 1855.
>
>
>
>   _Agitator _
>
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=9cbxNIiVHYuKID/6NLMW2gIf9vmVJn
I1pxCnJIRLdB3SbYepfaKUYkIF+CsZYmrz)
>
>
> ...
>
> Thursday,  March 29, 1855 _Wellsboro,_
>
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search="whole+nine+yards"+AND+rang
e:1753-1974+AND+city:wellsboro+AND+sta
> te:pennsylvania)  _Pennsylvania_
>
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search="whole+nine+yards"+AND+rang
e:1753-1974+AND+state:pennsylvania)
> ...of making three she has sut  the WHOLE NINE YARDS-into one shin But we
> must.....the kind-hearted teacher got or boy's WHOLE history, and  while
> gen-
> erous..
> ...
>      _Oakland Tribune _
>
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Viewer.aspx?img=4uFNimLMxoSKID/6NLMW2sf2NgZ30q
nbbmxCr6us1rb8QYOoatr/RkIF+CsZYmrz)
>  Wednesday,
> March 21, 1973 _Oakland,_
>
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search="whole+nine+yards"+AND+rang
e:1753-1974+AND+city:oakland+AND+state:california)
> _California_
>
(http://www.newspaperarchive.com/Search.aspx?Search="whole+nine+yards"+AND+rang
e:1753-1974+AND+state:california)
>      ...loud music, fancy cars
> (he  WHOLE NINE, YARDS simply resolves itself  into
>  ...
> ...
>
-