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The Origin of 'Balls to the Wall'
The Origin of "Balls to the Wall"
Ever wonder where the expression "balls to the wall" came from?
I'm standing next to an old engine with a centrifugal governor, and you can actually see the two weighted balls that are part of the mechanism.
As the engine speeds up, centrifugal force causes those weights to move outward.
That movement helps regulate the engine's speed and keeps it from simply continuing to accelerate.
And with a steam engine, controlling speed was pretty important.
You definitely didn't want one overspeeding.
The explanation I've heard for "balls to the wall" connects the expression to these old centrifugal governors.
When the engine was running all out, those spinning governor balls would move outward toward their maximum position.
Balls to the wall.
All out.
Full speed.
Whether you came for the old machinery or the old expression, it's pretty cool seeing the mechanical device behind the story.
And now the next time somebody says they're going "balls to the wall," you'll have something interesting to talk about.
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