the whole nine yards

[Laurence Horn]

At 7:48 PM -0500 1/2/01, Dennis R. Preston wrote:
>>What nine yards (in football)?
>
>dInIs (a former blocking back)
>
>>Any chance that "the whole nine yards" came out of American football
>>jargon?  Just speculation, but it's been my impression since I was a kid
>>that the phrase is somehow related to football (maybe cos my family was
>>big into football).
>>
Well, with inflation, it's up to ten yards (in football).