ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) (11/10/83)
There's this aphorism, "Possession is nine points of the law", which is often misquoted as "Possession is nine tenths of the law". Where does this come from? How many points are there (if 10, it's not a misquote but a paraphrase)? What are these points (or tenths), and which ones does "possession" comprise? Another one I wonder about is the phrase, "a base canard". How did inuendo ever get mixed up with ducks? advTHANXance. -- ken perlow ..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken bell labs @ naperville, IL
halle1@houxz.UUCP (J.HALLE) (11/10/83)
Point maybe comes from the first number after the decimal point, but then again a point is a hundreth of a caret. A point is also an eleventh of a heraldic shield. Re:canard. Quoting from Websters New Collegiate: [F,lit.,duck,fr.MF "vendre des canards a moitie" to cheat,lit.,to half-sell ducks] : a false or unfounded report or story; esp: a fabricated report
ptw@vaxine.UUCP (P. T. Withington) (11/11/83)
Speaking of nine, any ideas on the origin of "The whole nine yards"? Of coures "canard" has its roots in the mythology of the Marx brothers, who asked, "Viaduct?". 't` --Tucker (ptw@vaxine.UUCP) ~
barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) (11/15/83)
Re "the whole nine yards": This is almost certainly a reference to
football (for those reading this in the UK, I am referring to American
football), in which a team has four tries ("downs") to advance ten yards.
Going the "whole nine yards" probably refers to a situation in which you have
barely advanced in the first three downs, say only one yard, and then make
it all up in the last down.
--
Barry Margolin
ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics
UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmarptw@vaxine.UUCP (P. T. Withington) (11/15/83)
While we're at it: Dressed to the nines? Nine day wonder? And can anyone name The Nine Muses? 't` --Tucker (ptw@vaxine.UUCP) ~
notes@fortune.UUCP (11/17/83)
#R:vaxine:-39200:fortune:8100007:000:338
fortune!olson Nov 16 17:49:00 1983
This was discussed not to long ago (I believe in net.misc). The
most plausible explanantion (and incidentally the way I first heard it
explained :-}) is that the large dump trucks hold 9 cubic yards.
The whole nine yards thus refers to dumping a full load at once.
Dave Olson, Fortune Systems {ihnp4,harpo,ucbvax!amd70}!fortune!olson