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Originally a railroad engineering term, it refers to the mechanical governor found on steam locomotives. It uses two weighted steel balls for levers. Balls out means the “full out” position for maximum speed, quite risky on railroad curves or in populated areas.
May 19, 2019
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Adverb edit · balls-out (not comparable) ... (US, idiomatic, slang) At the fastest possible speed. ... See also edit · balls to the wall, a synonymous term whose ...
Actually I believe the phrase originated from the game of Rugby. When the ball is pulled from the scrum by the scrum half, the fly half yells "balls out!" so ...
So, when a steam engine is running at full speed, the balls are 'out' – hence the meaning of the term 'balls out'. But this misused term is not the only ...
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The earliest known use of the word balls-out is in the 1950s. OED's earliest evidence for balls-out is from 1959, in the writing of H. Searls. balls-out is ...
Nov 19, 2020 · The expressions 'balls to the wall' and 'balls out' are derived from engineering--not anatomy. Even so, use them carefully to avoid giving ...
balls-out. With maximum effort, energy, or speed, and without caution or restraint. The phrase most likely originated as an railroad engineering term, referring ...
May 13, 2020 · This phrase probably got its start as a play on all out that includes a reference to the testicles. Balls out also got its start in the U.S. Air ...
Mar 28, 2002 · : : : : : To go "balls out" means to throw caution to the winds and charge full-steam ahead. Without wanting to be too blunt as to the phrase's ...