"Whole nine yards" : some negative evidence [addendum]

[Dave Wilton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of Douglas G. Wilson
> Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 6:20 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: "Whole nine yards" : some negative evidence [addendum]
>
>
> >... One of them is WW II fighter pilot Leroy Roberts: here is an
> >interview transcript:
> >
> >http://www.wwiihistoryclass.com/transcripts/Roberts_L_020.pdf
>
> Oops, you'll need to go to the next section to see the "nine yards":
>
> http://www.wwiihistoryclass.com/transcripts/Roberts_L_021.pdf
>
> -- Doug Wilson
>
>

The relevant section in the interview, which is an undated interview with
one of the Tuskegee airmen is:

"I've explained in some of these presentations I make is -- I show a picture
showing the armorers loading those guns in a P-51, and they on the wing
loading these wing guns and they load these belts of ammunition. And I would
explain to them I never knew the number of rounds we carried, number of
total rounds, but we did what always say that there were nine yards of
ammunition in those belts, and we also say that that is where, I'm told that
we got the term the whole nine yards. And they always like to hear that
terminology."

It is interesting to note that he is not actually making a direct claim that
the term dates to WWII. What he is claiming is that he is a vector of the
tale. I may be splitting hairs and reading too much into it, but it sounds
to me like he is just telling a story to please his audience. I would put
very little credence into this claim.

It's a shame the interview is not dated. The WWII fighter explanation became
immmensely popular around 1998. It would be nice to know if this interview
pre-dated this.

--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net
  http://www.wilton.net