Posted by Greg Laden on February 26, 2009 We are expecting the storm of the year today in the Twin Cities. I’m looking at a weather map, and there is snow everywhere around Minneapolis and Saint Paul, including where I am. Events have been canceled. The whole nine yards (important planning related sports metaphor).
Yet when I look outside, I see not one flake of snow, and when I look at the news on TV I only see stories about a revolution happening in Mexico.
What is going on here, people???
It finally started here (downtown Minneapolis) a few minutes ago. It is already sticking, though.
I’m now on the St Paul campus and it is snowing ermines and wolves.
No squeaks, growls or baying and I can still see to the street, so it’s not quite that bad here, at least not yet.
Define “insane”.
Redfield, NY, about 40 miles from my house, is on track to reach a season total of 400 inches of snow this year. Yes, that’s right, over 33 feet. That’s the sort of thing being elevated and downwind from one of the Great Lakes can do. Here, we’re at about 1/4 of that and our local record is much more modest at somewhat under 200 inches for a season.
“…it is snowing ermines and wolves”
That’s, er, disconcerting.
Local colloquialism, or coined on the spot?
It is 75 here in Phoenix right now 
Supposed to be 82 on Saturday here in Orlando. I’ll think of y’all while running around in nothing but skivvies… wait, that didn’t sound right.
It snowed here in Rain City Otherwise Known As Seattle early this morning. When I got up there was about 2 inches, at least on roofs. But the sun was shining, and I knew it was going to melt in a hurry, which it has. That means I can go out and buy a bunch of cans of cat food for the humgry cat. I hope it does the same where you are.
The truth is we don’t get much snow in the twin cities, or for that matter, across most of Minnesota except in the Snow Tongue, a swath of land running southwest of Duluth.
But today, I drove 25 minutes in one direction had a couple of meetings, and then drove 2 hours in the other direction to get back home. It’s really freakin’ snowing out there.
Ermines and wolves … We always say that, don’t we?
Just to go off on an irrelevant tangent, I believe “the whole nine yards” is a military metaphor rather than a sports metaphor.
Doyle! Seriously?????? It is not a football metaphor? No way!
Is it because the trenches were nine yards apart or something?
It’s a several different kinds of metaphor. The origin depends on who you ask. I’ve always heard it in relation to kilts. If I recall correctly, Ben’s formal kilt is nine yards of tartan.
Yeah, I used to think it was football, too – but there are ten yards for a 1st down. Wikipedia – and what I’ve read elsewhere – “nine yards was the length of an aircraft machine-gun ammunition belt.”
I saw an explanation that it was nine yards of material to make a wedding dress ie. the whole nine yards was formal, complete and official or something like that.
Also, a suggestion that the expression started with machine gun belts in WWII fighters being 27 feet long. Giving someone the actual or metaphorical whole nine yards was a Bad Thing from the receiver’s point of view.
” It’s really freakin’ snowing out there.
Ermines and wolves … We always say that, don’t we?”
We always say that in Minnesota when it snows and blows like it did today. Everyone knows that Ermine are winter weasels turned white. The wolves are the white ones from the artic. The wind gusts twist and turn the blowing snow to look just like the them both.
I have seen a number of proposed origins for the phrase, but it seems to have first gained widespread use in the military http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-whole-nine-yards.html
PZ Twittered that it was snowing in Morris, MN, this morning and that the Trophy Wife(TM) couldn’t get to work.
We’re having crazy weather in Toronto: bitterly cold for a couple of days, then thawing. It was -6 C yesterday, it was 3 today, raining tonight, going up to 9 tomorrow and then crashing down to -13 overnight. (Does anyone need a translation? 21, 37, 48, 9 F.)
I’m in Atlanta, and it’s been appallingly cold this winter! We’ve even had snow! (little itty bitty flakes that melt before they hit the ground, admittedly, but real snow nonetheless!)
How far south do I need to go to stay warm all year! (as a lifelong atheist I need to acclimatize for my eternity in hell, you see 
)
Click here to visit my page for the novel Sungudogo
I and the BIRD … not just a Web Carnival any more
Human Evolution
Climate Change and Global Warming
Cats, Carnivores, and various Mammals
Gun Control
Birds and Bird Books
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 26, 2009
February 27, 2009
