balls-out

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Adjective

The metal balls of a centrifugal governor are pushed apart to a degree depending on the speed of a rotating shaft, providing negative feedback to the throttle

balls-out (not comparable)

1. (US, idiomatic, slang) Extreme; extremely great.
   • 1976, CBer's Handy Atlas/Dictionary, page 9, column 2:

     He's making a balls-out run for Motor City by nightfall.

Adverb

balls-out (not comparable)

1. Descriptive of the use of a centrifugal governor at maximum speed, corresponding to full throttle.
2. (US, idiomatic, slang) With great abandon.
3. (US, idiomatic, slang) At the fastest possible speed.

See also

• balls to the wall, a synonymous term whose proposed etymologic connection to this one has been challenged

Anagrams

• out balls