He went balls to the wall in the final sprint.
balls to the wall
idiomWith maximum effort or commitment.
Origin
folk etymologyFirst attested in the 1960s in the context of aviation, in reference to ball-shaped grips on an aircraft's engine controls (typically throttle, prop pitch and fuel mixture). Pushing these "balls to the wall" would put the aircraft at maximum thrust. Analogous to pedal to the metal. Not related to the term balls-out, which refers to a ball governor on a steam engine. Neither balls-out nor balls to the wall is connected with the vulgar sense of balls (“testicles”) except via folk etymology.
The team went balls to the wall to finish the project before the deadline.
Facing bankruptcy, the small factory went balls to the wall, running machinery twenty-four hours a day until the massive order was complete.
- 01
back to the wall
A very difficult situation with no beneficial options available for action.
- 02
balls of steel
Courage, audacity.
- 03
bang one's head against a brick wall
To waste effort on a futile project.
- 04
blue wall of silence
Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.
- 05
break the fourth wall
To apparently communicate with reality directly, such as when characters of literature comment on the existence of a reader.
- 06
bust one's balls
To work very hard; to put in a lot of effort.
- 07
Chinese Wall
An information barrier within an organization, designed to ensure internal confidentiality; frequently used to prevent conflicts of interest.
- 08
cobblers
[Cockney slang]balls or 'bollocks'