The trippier phrase to me is "a flash in the pan".  The source was an early musket used from 1630 to 1700, where there was a "pan" next to a hole in the barrel.  Gunpowder was put in the pan, and when the trigger was pulled and the lit salt-peter-rope hit the pan, they hoped a spark would enter the barrel to fire the projectile. When this didn't happen, it was just a "flash in the pan" - a big puff of smoke, but nothing happenned. This phrase, like "lock, stock, and barrel", has been with us some 350 years.  Amazing.

I have one surviving friend who was a P-38 pilot in WWII (when we met a few years ago, we instantly hit it off). I'll ask him his recollection of "the whole nine yards".  I always thought it meant it was a tough day over Europe for the B-17s, etc., too many ME109s and FW190s. I'll also ask a friend who's dad was a P-47 pilot, though I don't know if he is still with us.  He had some great stories. He was shot down three times around Italy, once out at sea. The plane was hit, he was headed back to base, and thought he could reach land. He could see it, but was losing altitude.  He unbuckled and threw back the canope, but REALLY wanted to make land.  He didn't, ditched, lost all his front teeth on impact. I'll hold the P-38 pilot's big dogfight story, as it may be coing up on "Dogfights".

BTW, David Crosby's dad was a B-24 Recon pilot.  Just the thought of THAT scares me.  Alone, unarmed. The guy had guts.

SGE