Or was that "reinyartination®"?...oh, well...

Anyway, I'm posting this because I came across this on the "Everything2" site, and they seem to touch on a couple possible entymologies for "the whole nine yards" that we actually missed in all our lengthy and vigorous discussions and searchings (note the British Naval drinking custom near the end of the thread, for one). But, like us, they also stipulate there is no true source that can be substantiated for this phrase:

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=543416

>possible entymologies

juan, juan, juan... not only do you have an extraneous 'n' in reinyartation, but also in etymology--that's just too ntsy for me.

Ns

re-in-car-na-tion

re-in-yart-na-tion

Nothin' extraneous about that "n"...that's the way I coined it, and that's the way it's stayin'.

Now, as for the "n" in etymology...well, a little insect never hurt anybody!

Nothin' extraneous about that "n"

Don' make me come out through this here monitor, Juan, and splain you the hard way.

So you're sayin you just inserted those ens to bug tsuwmn an Faldagen? [making a bee-line for the door-e]

A) It's not re-in-car-na-tion. It's re-in-carn-a-tion.

2) Therefore it's not re-in-yart-na-tion. It's re-in-yart-a-tion.

Þ) Harrumph!®

A) It's not re-in-car-na-tion. It's re-in-carn-a-tion.

2) Therefore it's not re-in-yart-na-tion. It's re-in-yart-a-tion.

Þ) Harrumph!®

Hey, Harrumphy! (I'm intentionally withholding the ® on that, claiming the addition of the "y" as a new form of the word)

Actually® all this quibbling over a lousy "N" sounds like re-in-tard-ation to me! I coined the word, I can spell it any dern way I like! "We don't need no steenkin' rules!"® Descriptivists of the world unite! I seen the enemy and they is us! So grok that! And why didn't Heinlein spell it with a "c", grock, hmmm????

Harrumphy Dumpty sat on a wall,
Harrumphy Dumpty had a bad fall,
And all the King's English,
And all the King's N's
Couldn't put Harrumphy Dumpty
Together again!

(I'm intentionally withholding the ® on that, claiming the addition of the "y" as a new form of the word)

Sorry, you're still in violation. All derivative versions are also Registered Trademarks of Anadage Corp.

Actually® all this quibbling over a lousy "N" sounds like re-in-tard-ation to me!

Then I would suggest you stop doing it. And are you sure it isn't re-in-tard-nation?

I coined the word, I can spell it any dern way I like! "We don't need no steenkin' rules!"®

Of course you can. But remember, a correction is not a derivative version.

Descriptivists of the world unite! I seen the enemy and they is us! So grok that! And why didn't Heinlein spell it with a "c", grock, hmmm????

Well, duh!! No reason to apply English spelling conventions to Martian words! Why doesn't al-qaida have a u?

Sorry, you're still in violation. All derivative versions are also Registered Trademarks of Anadage Corp.

Okay on this point, Faldage...here's the ® ® ® ® I owe ya. (Anadage Corp, that is!)

Better leave the N's alone...the Nts are stirring! (extraneous E's notwithstanding)


BTW, you own three ® ® ® for the use of reinyartnation® and derivatives on this thread...you'll get my bill in the morning.