What does balls to the wall mean

Share balls to the wall Post the Definition of balls to the wall to Facebook Share the Definition of balls to the wall on Twitter. Time Traveler for balls to the wall The first known use of balls to the wall was in See more words from the same year. Statistics for balls to the wall Look-up Popularity.

Style: MLA. Get Word of the Day daily email! Test Your Vocabulary. Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? Need even more definitions? Where does the phrase "balls to the wall" come from? Ask Question. Asked 7 years, 8 months ago. Active 7 years, 7 months ago.

Viewed 40k times. Improve this question. Jaydles 1, 4 4 gold badges 15 15 silver badges 30 30 bronze badges. Kasra Rahjerdi Kasra Rahjerdi 2 2 gold badges 4 4 silver badges 9 9 bronze badges. It's my understanding that it's a reference to the centrifugal governors that were common on steam engines.

When the balls spin faster, they separate and point outward. A related phrase is "going balls out". Add a comment. Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans. Sign up now or Log in. Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Click on the arrows to change the translation direction.

Follow us. Choose a dictionary. Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English. Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English. Like balling the jack , this phrase is often thought to have arisen from railroad work. The speed of the governor on train engines had round, metal weights at the end of the arms. As the speed increased, the spinning balls would rise — being perpendicular to the walls at maximum speed.