mornin' kids,

I have a regionalism that I'm not sure about today.  is it "full-tilt
bore (or boar?)"  is this in reference to a boar charging at you
full-tilt or is it a person going deeper into some subject similar to
a drill?  the only G00gled reference is this:
http://web.gosanangelo.com/archive/01/september/2/wtl1.html

thanks a wild pig's worth!
granny

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Clarification of Question by badabing-ga on 29 Apr 2003 10:33 PDT

answerfinder, it seems you've done the most research on this one.  go
ahead and post your answer, please.  thanks, everyone, for your input.

Hi, granny:

In my understanding "full tilt" and "full bore" are both phrases that
refer to having an engine throttle wide-open, thus implying "running
at highest speeds".

If you'd like this "piggy" to "drill down" a bit more into the
history, just squeal!

regards, mt

hi mt,

I thought it was "bore" also but when I saw it used porcinely, granny
was scratching her head.  looked on the phrase finder site but no
luck.  I'm afraid tracing this would entail more than my measly $2
bid; however, I would like to see it in print as "full-tilt bore." 
was just wondering if anyone has a super-secret regionalism site where
they could verify it.  thanks for your help, mt!

Here's someone using it:
http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?q=%22full+tilt+bore%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=7einod%245ir%241%40remarQ.com&rnum=1

I prefer "full-tilt boogie."

://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22full-tilt+boogie

Full tilt
"Meaning  
At full speed.  
Origin 
Jousting was also called titling; contestants who charged at each
other did it a 'full tilt'. From the Old English tealt, meaning
tottering."
http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/meanings/145850.html

http://web.gosanangelo.com/archive/01/september/2/wtl1.html
Uses the phrase correctly in that the writer is concerned about the
possible impact of a peccary (pig like animal)"...and a cross-body
block from a full-tilt boar"

The javelina or collared peccary (Tayassu tajacu) is a pig-like mammal
that lives in deserts, dry woodlands, and chaparral in the
southwestern USA and Mexico.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/peccary/Javelinaprintout.shtml

answerfinder-ga

I suppose it's in the mind of the speaker when he says about his job,
"I went at it full-tilt bore" whether he meant like a wild pig or
throttle open."  like you guys, I can't read his intent from words on
a page.  I prefer the "throttle open" analogy.  the other way, he
might get arrested by the pigs.

Since "full tilt" and "full bore" are essentially synonymous phrases,
wouldn't "full tilt bore" be a redundancy?

yep, absolutely.  it's just that this is a direct quote that must be
verbatim.  the gentleman is from Texas and they hunt wild boar there,
so I wasn't sure if this was a regionalism from that great state. 
Texans can mean something the rest of us don't quite understand that
is only unique to their "state" of mind.  that's what had me
bumfuzzled. ;-)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000806mag-onlanguage.html

Ah. If it's a reference to Texas, perhaps it should be "full tilt boor." :-D

bad, pinkie, bad! ;-)  it's lunchtime, so I'll call the library and
see if they have the DARE and if this expression is in it ... standby.

bad news.  not in the DARE or book of Texas idioms at the library but
librarian felt it was "boar."

only thing under "boar" at cliche site is: 

Cliché: Horny as a peach-orchard boar 
Explanation:  
1. Very horny.
2. Very full of sexual desire. 
Country:  United States 
http://clichesite.com/search.asp

grr.

Incidentally, here's the etymology of "full bore":

"Etymology Bli-Bot" [listing for "bore"]
Online Etymology Dictionary
http://www.etymonline.com/b4etym.htm

Hi, granny:

Not to dispute your fully fair award of the fee to answerfinder, but
note that the one Google hit of either phrase on Web pages (previously
identified by answerfinder) is not so much a phrase "full tilt boar"
per se but the literal application of "full tilt" to a charging
peccary (aka boar).  In other words the combination of words here is
not figurative so far as it includes the word boar.

On the other hand the one mention of either phrase in Google Newsgroup
archives is "full tilt bore", meant figuratively in this "deja vu"
posting about Kosovo from 1999 by Eisen Chien:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22full+tilt+bore%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=7einod%245ir%241%40remarQ.com&rnum=1

One mention apiece makes for slim pickings, but language on newsgroups
does tend to be more colorful than in Web pages.  Would that blogging
had been around a bit longer!

regards, mt

"Full tilt beard" -- actually, "full tilt beard-a-brewski":

"Journal of a Super Hero" (2000)
The Only Unofficial Don West Site
http://www.mindspring.com/~cligon/dw/superhero.html

Speaking of brewski -- "full-tilt beer goggling" (or is it "googling"?):

"Alcoholism: A Viable Career Choice" [warning: not for the queasy of stomach]
The Ferrett
http://www.theferrett.com/showarticle.php?Rant=14

No "full tilt bear" or "full tilt bar" that I can find.

yes, I suppose we're not any closer on any authoritative source than
when we started.  I did, however, enjoy reading answerfinder and JAS's
origins for full tilt and full bore.

maybe we could keep this open in case someone comes up with something
other than a newsgroup or webpage source.  I've asked around and most
votes go to "full-tilt bore."  Even though I've heard this many times
in conversation, I've never had to transcribe it.

if anyone runs into a gaggle of Texans, maybe you could ask their
opinion and  a reference book for same.

Thanks for the praise, granny.  One last thought, a la pink:  If it's
a reference to the South of Africa, rather than the South of the USA,
it could be "full tilt Boer".  :-)

I wonder if my students would refer to me as a full-tilt bore after
one of my 50 minute lectures on political economy.