Flat out

Posted by Gary Martin on December 20, 2010 at 11:17

In Reply to: Flat out posted by Lee on December 20, 2010 at 11:14:

: Per the post about 'flat out', when referring to giving all you effort, I thought the origin was Roland 'Rollie' Free. He broke the motorcycle world speed record in 1948 by removing the seat from his motorcycle, stripping to swim trunks, and laying completely flat across the top of the rear fender with his legs stretched out off the back of the machine, to lower wind resistance. He went 'flat out' and broke the 150mph barrier for the first time.

A vivid image, but not the origin of 'flat out', which predates 1948.