The expression “balls to the wall” has far less to do with male anatomy and quite possibly far more to do with the mechanical engineering genius of the steam engine.

Of course, almost nobody would know an exact reason for why the expression came to be so commonplace. You can kind of deduce it means that you’re going all-out, or perhaps giving it all you’ve got. The expression and that meaning actually likely originated with the steam engine; specifically the centrifugal governor used to keep things from blowing up.

Of course these origins are always contested, but his one seems pretty good. Oddly enough, I found what is the most likely explanation . . . .

| Continue to full article and video | Dec 13, 2016  |