From cars to conversations: Did you know these terms and phrases have automotive origins?

Automobiles are and have been an integral part of human lives for the past century. They have influenced the English language to such an extent that parts of everyday conversations between office colleagues, family members, and friends often involve car-and bike-related words. To gain some insight into this matter, we’ve listed several terms and phrases that have been derived from the form and function of automobiles. So, buckle up, and let’s go for a ride!

If it wasn’t obvious enough, there were two such phrases in the last sentence alone. The term ‘buckle up’ relates to fastening your seatbelts in vehicles and ‘let’s go for a ride’ is self-explanatory.

Instructions and assertions

Now you may notice that a lot of these words have been overused, especially in a corporate setting either by your boss, team leader, or whoever is giving that inspirational talk… and they have effectively become cliches.

If someone has asked you to ‘step on it’, it means to do something immediately or with urgency. And it is a reference to the accelerator pedal, which needs to be stepped on, to increase speed.

Shifting gears is a common activity in cars, especially in those equipped with manual transmissions. And the terms ‘shift gears’ or ‘it’s time to shift gears’ is a phrase that has migrated to the offices to let someone know to put in extra hours and/or focus their energies.

To put something into ‘overdrive’ is what we have heard in car movies, and we use it as a metaphor to get a mechanism, team, or strategy working at a maximum performance or with heightened intensity. It comes from the name of the ‘extra’ gear in a car’s transmission that usually permits higher speeds and improved efficiency. While the term is similar to ‘full throttle’, which describes maximum speed, output, or effort in a regular setting, overdrive can be used to express something more special or intense.

‘Firing on all cylinders’ is a very similar expression that indicates that a team or a system is operating at maximum load or output. Again, it is related to the cylinders of an engine.

Negative and remedial terms

To say “hit the brakes” means to stop the concerned activity or deal immediately, and it is borrowed from the action of applying brakes in a vehicle to reduce speed or halt it altogether.

“It backfired” is something we say often when a certain option or strategy has worked against us. And it originates from the mechanical term ‘backfire’, which describes combustion that takes place outside the cylinder and may cause back pressure or damage to the exhaust system.

‘Running on fumes’ is a common one. This phrase refers to being low on energy or motivation and is quite evidently related to driving with a fuel tank that is seemingly, or indicated to be, empty.

Who loves a ‘backseat driver’? Nobody! Over the years, you may have had quite a few car companions who’ve been giving one too many road directions or judging the pace or style of your driving. In ordinary situations, it is related to someone giving unsolicited advice about things they are involved in but doesn’t take responsibility for. When we take a ‘U-turn’ on the road, it means that we’re going the wrong way and wish to go back to join the most suitable route. Similarly in life, when you need to make a U-turn, it means to change a decision or activity completely to improve the outcome.

Miscellaneous

The term ‘crank it up’ comes from the act of cranking the engine in order to get it started. This was before the starter motor was applied to vehicles. Of course, crank it up refers more to upping the volume, speed, or characteristic of an activity or device, and not to getting something operational.

To call something ‘turbocharged’ is to say that it’s been designed or improved to perform at a very high level or deliver incredible performance. You could say that Amazon Prime is a turbocharged version of Amazon. It can be traced to the mechanical term turbocharging, which means to improve the volumetric efficiency of an engine (and thereby power) by introducing a larger volume of air/fuel mixture by use of an exhaust turbine (turbo) run compressor.

It may seem as if the phrase ‘running like a well-oiled machine’ has been phased out as it is something I only hear the Boomers say. It is a reference to a machine or mechanism that operates smoothly or quietly, thanks to regular maintenance i.e., oiling the chain or changing car oil as recommended.

To say that someone or something is ‘in the driver’s seat’ is to imply who has taken charge of the situation or task and the authority or the controlling factor has changed. If you’ve been audience to a company merger or restructuring or business deal that has gone south, you’ve probably heard it.

Having a “roadmap to success” means having key information or a blueprint of a previous or similar task that helps you strategise or achieve a particular goal and I guess its origins are self-explanatory.

Leaving from work, home or a party? You’d probably tell your friend or family, let’s ‘hit the road!’, which just expresses the intention to start a commute or longer journey. But of course, it implies getting onto the tarmac than hitting it.

‘Let’s make a pit stop’ is something we tell our road companions to let them know that we intend to take a small break in the route or time, and it comes from the frantic but necessary stops made by racing vehicles at the pits during a race for refuelling, changing tyres or making repairs.

Then there are two track-related terms we have heard oh-so-often. ‘Get back on track’ means to return to the intended path or strategy. But its opposite, ‘going off track’, is not to be confused with ‘going off the rails’ because the latter means losing control or behaving in an unusual or unacceptable manner. And then there is the term ‘to be on the fast track’, which is to prioritise something. On the highways, the fast track refers to the left-most lane in right-hand drive countries.

Everyone knows that the “dashboard” describes the control panel that sits afront the driver in a car, but it is also used in other industries, including tech and digital ones, to describe a graphical user interface or overview of information in various functions.

‘What’s under the hood?’ is a common dialogue we’ve heard in The Fast & the Furious movies. This quite obviously refers to checking out the motor of a vehicle and the kind of modifications made to it, but in everyday affairs, it can also mean examining the elements and processes of a strategy or other kinds of machinery.

It’s not just phrases, even colours have been named after or described by vehicles that use them. For example, sometimes people use the term ‘Ferrari red’ to describe something with a deep rich red colour. Except maybe, Lamborghinis and Porsches. That would be blasphemous! British racing green, which is a rich dark green, is also another auto-inspired colour.

Summary

As one can see, the automobile has an impact beyond just car ownership and commuting. And thanks to terms and phrases like these, we are able to express our thoughts with greater clarity.

What’s an automotive-related term you use so often? Let us know.

wknd@khaleejtimes.com