To go at full (unregulated) power
Steam engines had mechanical regulators that consisted of a pair of hinged lever arms with a ball on the end of each arm, as the engine sped up the centrifugal force caused the arms to raise up closing a valve. If you adjust the regulator so that the arms go to horizontal (with the balls pointing to the wall) without closing the valve you are not limiting the speed of the engine.
Steam engines had mechanical regulators that consisted of a pair of hinged lever arms with a ball on the end of each arm, as the engine sped up the centrifugal force caused the arms to raise up closing a valve. If you adjust the regulator so that the arms go to horizontal (with the balls pointing to the wall) without closing the valve you are not limiting the speed of the engine.
by Pat Reen January 6, 2005
Intense, extreme, to the max. The phrase comes from olde-fashioned steam engines; basically, they had two weighted balls attached to a vertical shaft which was connected to the engine. As the engine speed increased, these two balls would be raised higher because of centrifugal force! At top speed, they would be parallel to the ground, nearly touching the "walls" of the shaft! Hence, "balls to the wall."
"Balls to the wall" is a phrase with an interesting origin. Remember, when it comes to etymologies, the best story wins!
by Testicles! December 20, 2008
A term referring to the rotating governors used on steam locomotives and related steam engines such as tractors. The brass balls acted as weights on the end of linkages, and rotated with the increase in RPM of the engine. As speeds rose, the balls swung outwards, rising on the linkages. At a pre-set height, the release valve would engage, lowering steam pressure and reining in the RPM to the allowable maximum. The balls rose towards the firewall and/or the walls of the cab., hence the term.
by Larry Grosfield May 29, 2008
The coolest, most extreme sport ever and the only name for the game.
How to play: a kid throws the ball and it hits the wall.
Its name is definantly not "ball on the wall".
How to play: a kid throws the ball and it hits the wall.
Its name is definantly not "ball on the wall".
by caitlin likes drew June 15, 2008
Originally a military term for pushing maximum G-Forces in a jetfighter aircraft, as in pushing the ball of a throttle as high up as it will go (virtually touching the wall of the dashboard).
Fast; hectic; pushed to the limits
Fast; hectic; pushed to the limits
by Greg Novak November 15, 2003
Game where a group of friends throws a ball on a wall. If you accidentally drop the bal trying to catch it, you have to run to the wall and tag it as fast as you can before someone else throws the ball. If the ball hits the wall before you tag it you are out of the game. If you get 3 outs you have to stand up against the wall and have the person who gave you the last out stand as far as possible and try to throw the ball at you.
by Berg One January 15, 2010