Air Force Academy cite-whole nine yards(1968)?

[Douglas G. Wilson]

>Can anyone(Doug?) suppy the text and context for that cite?

I don't know that I have ever seen it. It was referred to by Jesse
Sheidlower on this list, 25 April 2004.

I don't think it's likely that this expression was derived mostly from
"Doom Pussy" itself. The expression was a favorite of a certain character
in the book ("Smash"); "Smash" was a real person; he is deceased, but I
contacted a couple of his old USAF comrades and at least one of them said
that he really did use that expression a lot back in the day. I think it
was probably already conventional in the USAF (or in some part of the USAF)
by 1965 or so. The book was semi-fictional, so I guess one cannot entirely
rule out a scenario in which "Smash" started using this expression only
after reading about himself using it in the book ....

-- Doug Wilson


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