2006-07-04 17:06:42 · 9 answers · asked by Trish 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
I think it's used to mean "you're in trouble"..In otherwords "guard your nuts", "protect the family jewels" although I found online that the phrase "balls to the wall," meant an all-out effort coming from the world of aviation. On an airplane, the handles controlling the throttle and the fuel mixture are often topped with ball-shaped grips, referred to by pilots as (what else?) "balls." Pushing the balls forward, close to the front wall of the cockpit results in the most and richest mixture of fuel going to the engines and the highest possible speed. The phrase dates to the early 1950s. Several veterans have written me noting their use of the term during the Korean War era. ALSO: Early railroad locomotives were powered by steam engines. Those engines typically had a mechanical governor. These governors consisted of two weighted steel balls mounted at the ends of two arms, jointed and attached to the end of a vertical shaft that was connected to the interior of the engine. The entire assembly is encased in a housing. The shafts and the weighted balls rotate at a rate driven by the engine speed. As engine speed increases, the assembly rotates at a faster speed and centrifugal force causes the weighted balls to hinge upward on the arms.
At maximum engine speed - controlled by these governors - centrifugal force causes the two weighted balls to rotate with their connecting shafts parallel to the ground and thereby nearly touching the sides - the walls - of their metal housing. So, an engineer driving his steam locomotive at full throttle was going "balls to the wall". The expression came to be used commonly to describe something going full speed.
2006-07-04 20:35:42 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋
It is a term used by British pilots ( I think) during WWII.
Full phrase is "Balls to the firewall" referring to the ball ends on the throttles being pushed all the way to full power.
2006-07-07 11:01:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it comes from the mental picture of being placed up against a wall in front of a firing squad. It means that it's do or die time.
2006-07-05 00:10:08 · answer #3 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
putting in a good performance under intense pressure. something similar to "backs against the wall".
2006-07-05 06:06:19 · answer #4 · answered by san_pellegrino 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
giving 100%, going all out, giving it everything you got and then some
2006-07-05 00:10:02 · answer #5 · answered by JK 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You are full-out, high speed, as hard as you can
2006-07-05 00:10:08 · answer #6 · answered by solange 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it means giving it all you've got no matter what comes your way.
2006-07-05 00:18:25 · answer #7 · answered by cierajane@sbcglobal.net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Going all out....
Putting the pedal to the metal.....
Giving it your all....
2006-07-05 00:10:49 · answer #8 · answered by oxosasoxo 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
get your a$$ in gear and be serious about something....anything
2006-07-05 04:27:24 · answer #9 · answered by melissa m 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋