several "new" 1966 "the whole nine yards" uses

Wilson Gray hwgray at GMAIL.COM
Sat Nov 3 21:39:13 UTC 2007


On 11/2/07, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
> Subject:      several "new" 1966 "the whole nine yards" uses
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 1966  Wings of the Tiger: A Novel (New York: Frederick Fell, 1966) by Carl
> Krueger (1908-   ). 285 pages. 22 cm. [Historical fiction.
> Vietnam--History--Fiction] This is from Google Book snippet view; there may be
> other relevant pages; UC [Berkeley?] copy; though some Google snippets are
> misattributed, this book (by subject, snippets, WorldCat, UC-B catalog, partial
> TOC, keywords, etc.) appears to be a valid identification.
> I have requested an ILL copy. And bought a hardback copy signed by the author
> for 9.78 plus postage. WorldCat lists 91 libraries, one misspelled as Kreuger,
> plus one in 1967 Dutch translation.
>
> p. 39
> went into action. "Okay, Tiger," it said. "Give 'em the whole nine yards. Now!"
> Chuck sighted through the frosted sights ground into his canopy. The hairlines
> crossed. He hit the toggle switch that controlled the pods. There was the
> sudden WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH as one hundred and fourteen rockets ejected from
> ...
>
> p. 55
> Never thought I'd see myself wanting to go the whole nine _yards_ with any
> girl. Not after all these years.
> "Years?"
> Kelly cut in with a broad grin. "I count your _mileage_ in

Does this "mileage" refer to the aforementioned "yards"?

-Wilson

> p. 57 [page no. in the snippet, bottom of page]
> "It's just coming over---"
> "We'll go over it after-de-briefing. Get me a list of all pilots and planes
> available. Everything. The whole nine yards.
>
> p. 190
> making a computation with a slide rule. He jotted figures on an air map
> then relaxed with an audible sigh.
> "Finished?" Grady said, eyeing him.
> "The whole nine yards. Everything except tomorrow's weather map
>
> p.223
> "Don't forget--give 'em the whole nine yards !"
> They drove off. A weight seemed to drop from Chuck's shoulders. His mind was
> more at ease. There would always be that ache in the void Janet had made within
> him but he knew now a single-mindedness of purpose that had deserted him
> temporarily. ...
>
> Stephen Goranson
> http://www.duke.edu/~goranson
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>


--
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die"---a strange complaint to
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-----
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