whole nine yards, the

Idioms and Phrases

Everything that is relevant; the whole thing. For example, He decided to take everything to college—his books, his stereo, his computer, his skis, the whole nine yards . The source of this expression is not known, but there are several possibilities: the amount of cloth required to make a complete suit of clothes; the fully set sails of a three-masted ship where each mast carries three yards, that is, spars, to support the sails; or the amount of cement (in cubic yards) contained in a cement mixer for a big construction job. [ Colloquial ]

Example Sentences

“It’s a hard time of year for everybody, players, coaches, the whole nine yards,” said Clemson coach Brad Brownell, a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches committee working on the issue.

From Seattle Times

"Leader, cheerleader, athletic, the whole nine yards," he said.

From BBC

I do joke that we’ve all become Shakers, but nobody is trying to actually go the whole nine yards and move up to Sabbathday Lake in Maine.

From New York Times

“We can’t wait to go the whole nine yards and see how things turn out.”

From Scientific American

Washington’s football Team is so complete that they Go the whole nine yards.

From Washington Post