@Delta62 Said 
The afterburners pushing the jet faster in other words it is being pushed to the limit, going all out, full speed.
Yes, the afterburners. To activate them, you push the throttles forward to the stop, move them left--to the wall-- and then further forward to control the A/B. It came to represent an all out effort in any number of other activities, including flying without the benefit of afterburners. The connection with aircraft remains, but the connection to afterburners has apparently been lost--which I always thought was a very potent image of what the phrase has come to mean, as well as what it originally meant.
Jul 16, 2010 @ 23:30:46
