balls-out
Descriptive of the use of a centrifugal governor at maximum speed, corresponding to…Descriptive of the use of a centrifugal governor at maximum speed, corresponding to full throttle.
Meaning
3 senses(not comparable)Descriptive of the use of a centrifugal governor at maximum speed, corresponding to full throttle.
(US, idiomatic, not comparable, slang)With great abandon.
(US, idiomatic, not comparable, slang)At the fastest possible speed.
Origin
Usually said to be from the maximum-speed state of a ball governor, whose balls are swungUsually said to be from the maximum-speed state of a ball governor, whose balls are swung out to the near-horizontal position. Neither balls-out nor balls to the wall is connected with the vulgar sense of balls (“testicles”) except connotationally via folk etymology. (In that vein of apparent vulgar innuendo, see also rock out with one's cock out.)
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.