[ExI] AI 2040

[John Clark]

On Thu, Jul 23, 2026 at 11:01 PM Russell Standish <lists at hpcoders.com.au>
wrote:

> On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 06:17:41AM -0400, John Clark wrote:
> > On Sat, Jul 18, 2026 at 1:48 AM Russell Standish <lists at hpcoders.com.au>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> >     > And another plan (Plan R for "Russell" :) is to go "balls to the
> wall"
> >     (I'd hate to think what kinky behaviour inspired that phrase)
> >
> >
> > According to Google Ngram that phrase first became popular in 1829:
> >
> > Balls to the wall
> >
>
> Fair enough - according to the urban dictionary, the phrase arose in
> the '60s from aeroplane throttles, which typically have balls on the
> end of the throttle levers. Which makes sense, though Google ngram
> reports the phrase as existing in the 1890s, well before Kitty
> Hawk. Though I don't see anything as early as 1829.


*I didn't put the phrase in quotation marks. Perhaps I should have. *


*John K Clark*


>
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