Hello all,

IMO, we can scratch "cloth" from the "The whole nine yards" .. as well!

Nine yards of cloth would clothe a family of six .. with some left over for a table dressing!

The best candidate IMO .. is still the WWII version of nine yards of ammo in the Spitfires and
Hurricanes .. the expression deriving from pilots declaring they'd used "The whole nine yards"
after a stiff engagement.

During the Battle of Britain in 1940 the Spitfires and Hurricanes used the British .303 ammo!

Churchill declaring on June 18, 1940 .. of the RAF to the House of Commons ".. if the British
Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their
finest hour,"

Later versions used the .50 cal. So I think the .303 belt length is what we're after .. the .50
being different!

jb
.