Going Balls To The Wall

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Says 'Going Balls To The Wall' For Autonomous Driving Is 'Blindingly Obvious' As Everything Else Is 'Like Variations On A Horse Carriage'

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balls to the wall
full speed ahead!

With maximum effort, energy, or speed, and without caution or restraint. The phrase most likely originated as an aviation term, referring to the throttle levers of military aircraft (which have a rounded ball on top) being pushed to their maximum limit (i.e., to the bulkhead, or "wall").

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The phrase “balls to the wall” originated as an aviation term and refers to an all-out, maximum effort. Let’s delve into its fascinating backstory:

Origin:
The metaphor underlying this expression traces back to the U.S. Air Force. Specifically, it relates to the throttle levers of many aircraft, which have rounded caps known as “balls.”
When a pilot pushes these throttle levers all the way forward, close to the front wall of the cockpit, the aircraft generates maximum thrust.
The phrase is first recorded in William C. Anderson’s 1965 science fiction novel “Adam M-1”:
“That’s the attitude, Captain […] No more anxieties. Balls to the wall!”
Anderson, a retired U.S. Air Force officer, served from World War II through the Vietnam War.
It also appears in Frank Harvey’s “Air War: Vietnam” (1967):
“That first Doomsday Mission (as the boys call a big balls-to-the-wall raid) against Hanoi.”
Connotation:
While the term carries a connotation related to male genitals, this aspect likely contributed to its appeal from the start.
However, it isn’t the original metaphor behind the phrase.
Balls out is a related expression, meaning unrestrained and completely committed.
It also got its start in the U.S. Air Force, predating “balls to the wall.”
The first known appearance of “balls out” is on the nose of a P-47 fighter flown by Captain Milt Thompson in 1945.
So, when someone goes “balls to the wall,” they’re giving it their all, with no limits or restraint—much like a pilot pushing those throttle balls to the cockpit wall during a high-stakes mission!