The Whole Nine Yards? Was it a

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Vickers MG Collection & Research Association

5 ай бұрын

In this video, Rich explores whether or not the Vickers machine gun ammunition belt was the origin of the phrase 'the whole nine yards?' and particularly 'give them the whole nine yards?'
You can find more Vickers MG myths at vickersmg.blog/in-use/myths/
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Пікірлер: 41

@Pilot12370 5 ай бұрын

In Germany we have a saying: It's 08/15. Which means it's inferior quality. Also poor average. It comes from the German machine gun 08/15, which was neither a heavy nor a light machine gun. Greetings from Germany.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

That’s really interesting

@jamesbromstead4949 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for an excellent video. Giving us the whole nine yards about "the whole nine yards.'

@Retarmyaviator 5 ай бұрын

Excellent video. When I researched this term a few years ago and what I found was that it was in use before WWI.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

Absolutely. Pre-war origins but even if it was argued that is what used in the MG context, the maths don’t work.

@Simon_Nonymous 5 ай бұрын

Well that's a nice little after lunch video - and nice to see there is an explanation that predates the myth by quite a long way. You always know you're watching a good channel if Jonathan Ferguson drops in to comment.

@vickersmg 4 ай бұрын

Thanks Simon. Great comments from Jonathan to help this one.

@jonathanferguson1211 5 ай бұрын

One of my favourite nonsense claims this one. I wrote a blog post about it many years ago. No-one knows where it originates but the earliest cites are from The Mitchell Commercial newspaper in 1907, reporting on baseball games. So whatever it is, it's nothing to do with machine guns. It very likely began as an IRL meme - someone commented on some actual length of *something* (cloth, perhaps, but who knows) and it 'went viral' because it sounded good. The number probably varied in the retelling until 'nine' stuck. Not everything has a specific, meaningful origin.

@stevegifford5201 5 ай бұрын

Without wishing to sound too ackchewally, the earliest cite is actually from a comic story (The Judge's Big Shirt) about a judge ordering 3 shirts, but receiving only one made from The Whole Nine Yards, circa 1855

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

Thanks Jonathan. It’s one we’ll never know the origins of really but it does get tedious when it’s said on nearly every visit we have, even when the whole belt is there for everyone to see.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

Oooh, a proper ackchewally! Nice.

@jonathanferguson1211 5 ай бұрын

Oh! I should have looked again, someone must have found an older cite while I was doing my day job lol. Thanks. That's a really great find, very plausibly the origin I think. @@stevegifford5201

@jonathanferguson1211 5 ай бұрын

Love it! I should have looked at Wikipedia lol@@vickersmg

@sherlock9397 5 ай бұрын

I love your content I didn’t even know about you guys until recently wish I could and see it all but I live in North Yorkshire. I’d love to work there I love military history and guns, it would be my dream job to work with machine guns

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind comments. I have to say, it’s not really a job. Those involved in the regular work and firing these are all volunteers that are trained up to support the association over a series of months. There are very few opportunities to actually work with machine guns but, given your location, you could look at the volunteering programmes with the likes of the Royal Armouries where it would give you a general overview of the historic arms world.

@derekp2674 5 ай бұрын

Thanks Rich (and team). I've always thought the term came from aircraft usage, not least because you cannot just reload another belt mid-fight in a fighter. But perhaps someone will be able to point where the term is first used in the media.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

That’s a deep discourse analysis needed. Maybe one day!

@derekp2674 5 ай бұрын

@@vickersmg Thanks for linking the Wikipedia page. From that the origins of the term may have more to do with textile mills...

@philbosworth3789 5 ай бұрын

I've heard that so many times, and have yet to hear a good explanation for it.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

We get asked it sooooo often!

@jonathanferguson1211 5 ай бұрын

The true origin is unknown, however the earliest cites are from The Mitchell Commercial newspaper in 1907, reporting on baseball games. So whatever it is, it's nothing to do with machine guns.

@butchphillips873 5 ай бұрын

Could "Give the the whole nine yards" be a platoon of riflemen in line. 30 solders in a tight fireing line would be about Nine yards across. A volly from all the men at once. cheers from downunder.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

It would be very tight to get a frontage of less than one foot or even two if they’re in two ranks. A few other origins have been suggested as well, which aren’t military at all but seem more appropriate. Perhaps a civilian phrase later applied to machine gun use whether correct or not - soldiers often don’t worry about such details!

@callumgordon1668 5 ай бұрын

I’ll take your debunking, but I thought it referred to the Browning .50 cal.

@stevegifford5201 5 ай бұрын

Have you considered stitching together a 9-yard belt for pure devilment (and April Fools shenanigans)?

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

Well we hadn’t, but now you’ve said it…

@kenseniuk2155 5 ай бұрын

It was my understanding it referred to the.50 cal.of the P-51 Mustang.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

It certainly didn’t originate with that but maybe one of those where it was used as ‘close enough’ anyway.

@snidertom8971 5 ай бұрын

I have now watch the video and know how many rounds are in 9 yards

@philbosworth3789 5 ай бұрын

Oh, suddenly occurred to me I was suggesting you hadn't done well here, which is far from the case; should have said something to the effect that no one seems to know where this expression came from. Please excuse me.

@vickersmg 5 ай бұрын

No problem Phil, we know what you mean.