Wordorigins.org

[Updated on 21 June 2007 with addition of 1964 citation.]

First, it needs to be stated up front that no one knows what the origin of the phrase the whole nine yards is. Anyone who claims to have such knowledge is almost assuredly wrong. We just don’t know what the nine yards refers to. There are probably more unsubstantiated explanations floating about for this phrase than for any other and most have absolutely no evidence to support them.