What does this legal sounding phrase mean?

[nq:1]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the law" mean? Does it mean if you posses something that is in dispute, the courts will likely rule its yours if it went to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
I don't have a good reference on which to hinge this, but I do believe that it's the other way around: That 90% of the corpus of law (is that how you say it?) of many s

Carsten Petersen wrote on 27 Jul 2004:
[nq:2]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the ... to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't have a good reference on which to hinge this, but I do believe that it's the other way ... with possession/property, while the other 10% deal with all those minor issues in life traffic violations, shoplifting, genocide, etc

[nq:1]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the law" mean? Does it mean if you posses something that is in dispute, the courts will likely rule its yours if it went to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
It means that if you've actually got your hands on something, it's much harder for others to get it off you - whatever the law may say.

Mike M

[nq:2]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the ... to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
Don't take it literally, it's a proverb. Like Mike says, it means it's hard for someone to get something off you.
[nq:1]I don't have a good reference on which to hinge this, but I do believethat it's the other way around: ... deals with possession/property, while the other10%

[nq:1]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the law" mean? Does it mean if you posses something that is in dispute, the courts will likely rule its yours if it went to trial?[/nq]
Not necessarily, but it means that you may have a more difficult time proving that it is yours if you are not in possession of it.

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa

[nq:1]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the law" mean? Does it mean if you posses something that is in dispute, the courts will likely rule its yours if it went to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
Others have addressed what it means, but I thought I'd point out that the original appears to be "Possession is eleven points in the law", cited back to Colley Cibber,

[nq:1]Others have addressed what it means, but I thought I'd point out that the original appears to be "Possession is ... woman, scorned, slighted, dismissed without a parting pang", now more often rendered as "**** hath no fury as a woman scorned".[/nq]
"... like a woman scorned", surely?
BTW, would you mind if I draw Donna's attention to the punctuation of your last sentence?

[nq:2]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the ... to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
[nq:1]Others have addressed what it means, but I thought I'd point out that the original appears to be "Possession is ... woman, scorned, slighted, dismissed without a parting pang", now more often rendered as "**** hath no fury as a woman scorned".[/nq]
Congreve's 'The Mourni

[nq:1]What does the phrase "Possession is nine tenths of the law" mean? Does it mean if you posses something that is in dispute, the courts will likely rule its yours if it went to trial? If not what the heck does it mean?[/nq]
If it means anything (usually it is no more than a cliche), it means that the person in possession of a thing is presumed to possess it lawfully, and anybody else must

[nq:1]Others have addressed what it means, but I thought I'd point out that the original appears to be "Possession is ... woman, scorned, slighted, dismissed without a parting pang", now more often rendered as "**** hath no fury as a woman scorned".[/nq]
It is not a line from Cibber that is "nor more oftern rendered as '**** hath no fury as (sic) a woman scorned.'" That Cibber may have written