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 ]