Ask My Sky Mom. Aviation wit and wisdom.

Hey Mom,

Since you seem to enjoy digging up the etymology of colorful aviator slang, how about telling us about “balls to the wall”? I’m interested, I bet other people would enjoy hearing about it, and it’s probably not as dirty as it sounds, if I recall correctly. So tell us where “balls to the wall” came from. I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks,

Word Geek

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Hi Geek,

Right you are, the term is not nearly as raunchy as it sounds, though I can guarantee you that it’s popular usage is at least partly due to the obvious double entendre. Rest assured though, ladies, that you can go balls to the wall with the best of ‘em. So where did this colorful expression originate? While some will insist that it started with the railroad, there is little evidence to support this claim. Military aviators were the first to talk about going “balls to the wall”. The throttle and mixture levers (and the prop control, for the machines so equipped) were topped with a ball, though many now end in a vernier type control for more precision and to make accidental movement of those controls less likely. Anyhow, “balls to the wall” is a simple reference to pushing all those controls full forward to the firewall, the wall that separates the engine from the cabin just in case of an engine fire. Balls to the wall gives you full power, maximum speed, as much as you can get out of that engine. Popular usage implies an uncontrolled maximum effort, a wild, almost desperate “give it all ya got” shot. Balls to the wall is about going full speed ahead, holding nothing back.

So balls to the wall, all of you, and finish your homework already so we can all go flying!

Mom

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You’ve got questions? I’ll find you an answer. Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posted. An educated pilot is a safe pilot is a happy pilot!  Read on, fly safe, and remember: the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask!

~ by myskymom on October 4, 2009.