yard (redirected from yarding)

all wool and a yard wide

Fig. trustworthy and genuinely good. (A description of good quality wool cloth.) Mary's a fine human being—all wool and a yard wide. I won't hear a word against Bill. He's all wool and a yard wide.

See also: and, wide, wool

Give someone an inch and he'll take a mile. and Give someone an inch and he'll take a yard.

Prov. Be generous to someone and the person will demand even more. (Describes someone who will take advantage of you if you are even a little kind to him or her.) If you let Mark borrow your tools for this weekend, he'll wind up keeping them for years. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile.

See also: and, give, inch, mile, take

whole nine yards

Sl. the entire amount; everything, as far as possible. For you I'll go the whole nine yards. You're worth the whole nine yards.

See also: nine, whole

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go the whole nine yards  (American informal)

to continue doing something dangerous or difficult until it is finished The weather was terrible but I wanted to go the whole nine yards and get to the top of the mountain.

See also: nine, whole

the whole nine yards  (American informal)

the whole of something, including everything that is connected with it When I eat Mexican food, I like to have fajitas, bean dip, guacamole - the whole nine yards.

See also: nine, whole

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the whole nine yards (spoken)

all of something, including everything connected with it the whole shebang When you join the gym, they show you all the equipment, tell you how to use it, the whole nine yards. They rushed him to the emergency room with lights flashing, sirens wailing, a police escort, the whole nine yards.

Usage notes: often used in the phrase go the whole nine yards: So we moved to the suburbs and went the whole nine yards - we had two cars, a pool in the back yard, even cookouts in the backyard.

See also: nine, whole