# The Bard did coineth "the whole nine yards" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560 "2009-04-01T09:34:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/1 "2009-04-01T09:34:52Z")
There have been a number of somewhat inconclusive threads about Unca Cece’s column on [What’s the origin of “the whole nine yards”?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/504/whats-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. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/2 "2009-04-01T10:56:22Z")
Isn’t that the play that, in Act V, Scene iv has the following lines? > [@](#): > > 'Twas richly deservéd that thou shouldst so stay > The augry given, and, thus, wast naméd the day. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/3 "2009-04-01T11:58:00Z")
You just broke my pentameter, **DSYoung**. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/4 "2009-04-01T12:47:19Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Isn’t that the play that, in Act V, Scene iv has the following lines? I see what you’re getting at, but I think you misremember. I just read all of Act V, and that’s not in there. Are you sure you’re not mixing it up with something else? ETA: D’oh! I found it. It’s actually at the end of the associated sonnet, “The Winged Angels Tread Upon the Endless Band of Heaven.” Technically not in Act V, but I should have seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/5 "2009-04-01T12:50:20Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > Isn’t that the play that, in Act V, Scene iv has the following lines? Is there a joke of some kind in this post? If so, I didn’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/6 "2009-04-01T13:39:38Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Is there a joke of some kind in this post? If so, I didn’t get it. Er, yes. “Love’s Labours Won” (however spelled) is a lost Shakespearean play: there are references to it in contemporary documents, but no copies exist. And today is April 1st – just 22 days from Shakespeare’s birthday! ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/7 "2009-04-01T13:52:43Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Is there a joke of some kind in this post? If so, I didn’t get it. Take the first letter of each word in the quote. ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/8 "2009-04-01T14:54:31Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Is there a joke of some kind in this post? If so, I didn’t get it. I think “augry” in the quote was deliberately misspelled to make it the third word ending in -gry? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/9 "2009-04-01T14:57:52Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Er, yes. “Love’s Labours Won” (however spelled) is a lost Shakespearean play: there are references to it in contemporary documents, but no copies exist. And today is April 1st – just 22 days from Shakespeare’s birthday! I was asking about **DSYoungEsquire** ’s post. I already understood the jokes in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/10 "2009-04-01T14:59:47Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Take the first letter of each word in the quote. 😕 I did that already. I can’t see what it’s supposed to mean. trdttsss tagatwntd (Oops… Was that a 4/1 joke of your own, **Bup**?) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/11 "2009-04-01T15:29:02Z")
Gotcha ya! ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/12 "2009-04-01T18:24:37Z")
> [@](#): > > He will surely think I deal too slightly, or unmannerly, or foolishly, indeed; nay, dishonestly… > [@](#): > > Love! Love! — Downright Love! I see by the Foolishness of it. > [@](#): > > Go to, you’re a Fool. > [@](#): > > I think, you’re mad. — Perverse, and foolish, Wretch! > [@](#): > > …like a credulous Fool, > I shew’d the Treasure to a Friend in Trust, > And he hath robb’d me of her. > [@](#): > > Come, come, all this is not sufficient, Child, > To make a Fool of me. > [@](#): > > And Oh, thou Fool, > Forsaken _Violante_! whose Belief > And childish Love have made Thee so — go, dye… > [@](#): > > Talk’d you of Comfort? ’Tis the Food of Fools, > And We will None on’t; but indulge Despair… > [@](#): > > Now you may go seek Your Fool to stop a Gap with. > [@](#): > > Brother, you must please > To look some other Fool to put these Tricks on; > They are too obvious: – Shakespeare: _Cardenio_ ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/13 "2009-04-01T18:57:52Z")
Love’s Labours Wonne. I once did see a play Ycleped so … or maybe it was lost? ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/14 "2009-04-02T10:30:30Z")
> [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](#): > > I think “augry” in the quote was deliberately misspelled to make it the third word ending in -gry? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bard-did-coineth-the-whole-nine-yards/491560/15 "2009-04-02T12:26:40Z")
The day hath moved on, to tomorrow. And tomorrow and the next tomorrow will be tagging along soon after. Hence, I’m closing this this thread lest some poor unsuspecting person be snagged on a less appropriate date. Excellent though it was.