"Whole Nine Yards" and Occam's Razor, etc.

[David A. Daniel]

Well, for one, it is seen in print in 1855 in at least one instance. What we
don't know is if that cite is unique, relevant, coincidental, or placed
there by aliens. That's why I said I thought it would be worth poking around
to find out.
DAD

-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Sam Clements
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 2:54 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Re: "Whole Nine Yards" and Occam's Razor, etc.


----- Original Message -----
From: "David A. Daniel" <dad at POKERWIZ.COM>
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 1:47 PM
Subject: Re: "Whole Nine Yards" and Occam's Razor, etc.


>I have a somewhat different theory up on which I might even try to follow.
> ;-) If you look at that 1855 judge/shirt joke, it really isn't funny
> unless
> the "whole nine yards" phrase is recognizable from another context. In
> other
> words, I can imagine that at the telling of the joke the voice is raised
> during the pronouncing of "the whole nine yards" as the point of the joke
> is
> to make ironic reference to the phrase. That would say to me there was at
> that time a phrase "the whole nine yards" in common use that was being/had
> been used in another context and that the joke makes fun of >that
> expression.
> DAD

If it was in "common use" in the mid-1800's, why has it never been found in
print until 1964?

Sam Clements

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