I never knew and got curious and looked it up. I guess it makes more sense than slamming your testicals against the wall.
“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”
WEP, war emergency power. Depends on the aircraft how long you could use it.
Thanks for the read, that sent me down an interesting rabbit hole
TIL you can increase engine power by mixing water into the fuel.
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?
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
Now i wonder what the origin of “tripping balls” is?
Have you ever accidentally stood on a ball (football/dodgeball) and tripped? If you have you may have an idea where the expression comes from. You trip really hard.
That refers to noted hippie Mad Jack McMadd, whose balls were so big he used to trip on them when he got high.
If course, how didnt i think of that
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.
That’s what she said
I want a garage in my pipe organ.
comedy genius. really useful.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Found Dewey!
So is the term “grounded” and I genuinely wonder what parents used to say to their misbehaved children before airplane terminology was commonplace.
They just beat them.
Pounded.
Wait…
Not to be confused of course with “balls deep”, which is exactly what it sounds like
It’s when your shaft is so damn deep that you can only barely make out your ball amidst the shaggy rough entanglement. Courses like Oakmont Country Club, Ko’olau, and Pinehurst are some examples that can challenge even top golfers.
This thread is a doozy, can’t tell whats real and what isnt anymore
Dunking from basketball, right? right?
No, dunking your balls is a little different
Silly. It’s from hitting a baseball so far that the balls deep in the bushes
Of course we still don’t have an agreed upon standard for how deep balls deep actually is.
Yeah, I hear it varys from person to person.
The bottom of the ball pit!
Mounting yourself on those balls at the wall?
I’m offended by them calling testicles “vulgar”
Little Known Fact: In Texas they don’t have testicles, they have texicles.
Heh nice
Vulgar in linguistics refers to street usage instead of formal. See also Classic Latin vs Vulgar Latin.
I’ve never understood “Peddle to the meddle.” What am I peddling and who’s meddling in my peddling? /s
Pedal to the metal.
To expand, it is referring to pushing the gas pedal to the (metal) floor when racing.
\m/
Petal to the mettle.
English is so stupid.
aka competitive gardening
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Wow I never knew this either. This is a good one
I’m pretty sure it was from trains first
Trains used levers for the throttle.
You may be thinking of “balls out” which refers to centrifugal regulators that are usually used on steam engines.
I just assumed it was an exaggeration. Putting the balls to the wall meant having them wide open
My mom worked for the railroad - she was the first trains woman to become a superconductor.
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
