Ever hear the phrase "Balls out" when referring to pushing something to the max? Comes form the balls of the centrifugal engine governor. At maximum speed the balls extended all the way outward giving us the term "Running balls out."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor

edit: I once said this phrase at a work meeting and someone objected to my use of a crude term which I then explained much to everyone's surprise. They thought it had something to do with testicles.

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glinscott an hour ago | parent | next [-]

Definitely a fun note :). I think I heard it first from a Jay Leno youtube video where he was showing his amazing collection of steam powered machinery.

This is from the article, but governors also played a role in kicking off modern control theory! """ In 1868, James Clerk Maxwell studied when these oscillations grow or die away in his paper “On Governors”[https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gold/pdfs/teaching/old_lite...]. This became one of the beginnings of modern control theory. """

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dijksterhuis 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

tbh, any time i've said it i've been referring to testicles, but thanks for the helpful excuse in future.

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goodmythical an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I suppose this is also the less colorful true origin of "balls to the wall" than the phrase itself suggests?

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dghlsakjg an hour ago | parent [-]

Nope. Balls to the wall refers to the balls on the end of throttle levers in aircraft cockpit.

Going balls to the wall means pushing the throttle and mixture all the way in to the firewall/instrument panel for maximum power.

	▲	teachrdan a minute ago \| parent [-]
		Nit: I believe this originated with locomotives, predating aircraft by quite a bit!

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jscott817 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Similar to balls to the walls (or similar). Coming from the analog aviation controls I believe.

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buildsjets 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Example, throttle controls on a Dogulas DC3. All engine controls forward is the typical convention for full power. (At sea level, neglecting the altitude effect on required engine fuel/air mixture.)

https://www.douglasdc3.com/dc3throt/dc3throt.htm

	▲	conartist6 an hour ago \| parent [-]
		That said, i'm sure the pilots were aware of the double entendre

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CalRobert 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Balls to the van der Waals

	▲	taneq 10 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Engaging in a little hydrogen bonding, eh?

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taneq 11 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

> When the engine slows, the balls fall and open the cock again.

The choice of wording makes me suspect that they intended both entendres. ;)