I never knew and got curious and looked it up. I guess it makes more sense than slamming your testicals against the wall.
Another fun phrase with similar etymology is “pulling out all the stops”. It comes from church organs, where the stops are all of the levers that can change the timbre
Ohhhh this makes sense too! I actually have a pipe organ in my garage so I know exactly what you’re talking about!
I want a pipe organ in my garage.
I want a garage in my pipe organ.
comedy genius. really useful.
Found Dewey!
Going “balls out” refers to governors on steam engines which used centrifugal force on a pair of balls to regulate the speed of the engine. At full speed the balls were out at the maximum.
So much better in Scots pronunciation
BAWZOOT MIN
“Just under the wire” has a similar aviation lineage. According to my dad some WWII fighter planes had a wire attached across the throttle lever slot to mark the point that was considered “full throttle”. The wire was breakable, so a pilot in a desperate situation could push the throttle farther forward if necessary, but I think there was a danger of blowing up the engine. So being just under the wire meant not quite past that point.
Cool story, but not where that comes from and not how that phrase is used.
“Just under the wire” means “just in time”, “at the last second”, etc.
It comes from horse racing and the wire they would strong across the finish line. Same as “down to the wire”
Interesting - I know about the horse-racing wire, it was to trip the photo-finish camera.
WEP, war emergency power. Depends on the aircraft how long you could use it.
TIL you can increase engine power by mixing water into the fuel.
It needs to be injected into the air charge with the best atomization you can manage for best results.
Thanks, that’s a lot more than my sketchy memory of what my dad told me (WWII pilot). Might not be where “under the wire” came from but it’s fascinating.
I can Accept that
Based on the video for that song, the band was unaware of this.
Yeah probably. I like their interpretation though
Kind of like ‘having one’s balls in a vice’. It actually refers to the old days when ball bearings were made by hand. It was tedious work and the pressure to make ball bearings for the burgeoning industrial revolution was intense. They were cut out of metal and then polished smooth, secured in a vice. Hence, ‘having your balls in a vice’ meant being under intense pressure.
10/10 shitpost
Now I’m confused. Was OP just kidding about the balls in a vice saying?
Nowadays I just keep my dick in a vice, as AvE recommends
Oh shit sam o nella was right
Who?
Sam O’nella is a comedy education YouTuber
I’m pretty sure it was from trains first
Trains used levers for the throttle.
I heard that too
My mom worked for the railroad - she was the first trains woman to become a superconductor.
Wow I never knew this either. This is a good one
I guess it makes more sense than slamming your testicals against the wall.
In a way relating to human anatomy that has caused me to remove this phrase from my usage in recent years (because I worried how others would take it) the balls=testicles actually always made sense to me, but I’m not going to explain it.
However, now that I know what the most literal interpretation of the phrase actually is, I can feel safe using it again!
Thank you, thank you, sir or madam
