There have been a number of somewhat inconclusive threads about Unca Cece’s column on What’s the origin of “the whole nine yards”? However, confirming the truism that pretty much every common English phrase can trace its coinage – or at least its popularity – to Shakespeare, it turns out “the whole nine yards” is in fact another of the great bard’s linguistic gifts.
The prototypical form of this phrase appears in one of his lesser known plays – Love’s Labour Wonne – namely Act 1, Scene 8, up near the top of the page, where Pistachio is declaring his undying love for Formaldehyde:
[QUOTE=Shakespeare (from ‘Love’s Labour Wonne’):]
An isolated destination,
thoughtless pain unfurled,
a tempest of weary preparation,
forms the nine yards whole ( bolding added).
[/quote]
This early usage has been overlooked until now, most likely because “Loves Labour Wonne” is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays, partly due to the variance in the contents of the various Shakespeare folios, so this particular play is not included in all of his collected works.
Sadly – and inexplicitly – Uncle Cecil has never won a Pulizer for his 36-odd years of producing The Straight Dope. However, I promise to mention his name – prominently – at the awards ceremony held for my discovery.
Interestingly, this play also includes – from Act 3, Scene III, down the page a bit – the following:
[QUOTE=Shakespeare (also from ‘Love’s Labour Wonne’):]
Some might think me a whobblin’ spear,
but truely I am fried ham, I feare.
[/quote]
which is an obvious allusion to the fact that the “Shakespeare” plays were being written by Francis Bacon. But we all knew that already.
There remains the question of whether Shakespeare actually coined this phrase, or instead it was one commonly in use in Elizabethan England. That I will leave as an exercise for the reader. Meanwhile, I’m learning to read Egyptian hieroglyphics – just a hunch, mind you.
I did that already. I can’t see what it’s supposed to mean.