Where does the phrase "balls to the wall" come from?
I know the phrase means "going all out" but I can't figure out what it literally means or where it originates from.
Wiktionary sez:
First attested in the 1960s in the context of aviation. Probably coined by pilots whose throttle levers had round, ball-like tops and for whom putting the "balls to the wall" (the firewall of the aircraft) meant making the aircraft fly as quickly as possible.