h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sounds very feasible.

When the film first came out, I remember hearing an explanation for the "Full Nine Yards" which means sort of the same thing. But I've forgotten its origins. Anyone know?

the whole nine yards is from the ww2 pilots. I think. The aeroplanes carried the machine gun ammo in a total of 9yards of ammo strips. If you emptied your guns you had given it the full nine yards, everything you had in other words.

And why should "courage" be taboo in the US? (Post 7741)

Thanks, Ictoan. Another military one. What a colourless language we would speak if WW2 hadn't happened.

On the other hand, maybe something else would have coloured our language.

It's not that courage is taboo in the US, but spunk is an alternative word (OK in the US?) which often has different connotations in the UK.

I think you said it well, but I'm not sure that we (UK) have any other connotations to spunk other than the rude one. I've now heard a few Americans use it in the British way and that would indicate a short trip to the scrap heap for that word to mean anything else. My experience that once a word has a sexual taint it eventually becomes unused in it's previous meaning.
E.g. If I said I were a gay man I'm not sure how many people would jump to the conclusion that I was saying I was happy.
You find fewer and fewer people using words which are full of innuendo in conversations which are innocent. My rule of thumb* is that could a teacher say it in a secondary school class without there being uproar.

"When I'm at home I like to watch TV and stroke my pussy." FAIL!

The test of time is whether they allow old films to keep these words in now they are joining the underclass. I do remember being startled when I heard a family film from America (from the 1940's I think) refer to a woman standing with her back to the fire as "warming her fanny".

*maximum thickness of stick you can beat your wife with

>> but I'm not sure that we (UK) have any other connotations to spunk other than the rude one

I'm sure we *used to* have. To my mind, the (non-sexual) usage implies a kind of inter-war (British) public school setting.

"Spunk, spunk, you're sso full of British spunk." Dame Edna Everage

>> Rule of thumb = maximum thickness of stick you can beat your wife with <<

This strange-but-true dictum of English common law, like so many British measurements, was originally based on Henry VIII's bodily dimensions.

He had a 12 inch foot and short thick limbs. His 'yard' arms were more than 3 inches short of a meter but his thumbs were mercilessly thick.

The law (which remains on the books in most English speaking countries) was later amended to mean the thumb of the accused beater. So if he whacked it with a hammer just before he appeared in court the swelling could guarantee an acquital.

~jwf~

You could add Waugh, ware and wor (Geordie our) to your name but I'd advise not hitting your thumb with a hammer. It could hurt.

...and whore and hoar!

turvy

...or even go the whole nine yards and use phwoarrh! (however it might be spelt?).

turvy

turvy,

Do I detect a theme here?

Sounds like it would be better to be kicked in the behind by Henry VIII than to have to shake his hands.

Yard arm? Was he related to an Orangutan?

The yard wasn't the length of the king's arm, it was half the length between his fingertips when his arms were outstretched.

But he might have been related to a short armed Orangutan as well.

That would explain why Queen Elizabeth of England had red hair, before it all fell out.

But seriously, were the foot, yard, etc, only defined in Henry VIII's day? Were there no set standards any earlier?

Inch, foot and yard were all in use in England as units of measure before the Norman Conquest.