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3.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1: Driving Idioms IV

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    Driving Idioms IV

    1. Bumper to bumper traffic: Slow moving traffic; stop and go traffic

    During the traffic jam, there was bumper to bumper traffic for four miles.  Driving in bumper to bumper traffic during hot summer days is very uncomfortable

    2. To fire up an engine: To start a car or some other kind of vehicle

    When I took my car to the mechanic to see what the problem was with my car, he told me to fire up the engine so that he could listen to it.  On my power washer, after I checked the oil level, I fired up the engine and started washing my deck.

    3. To crank an engine: To start an engine or to try to start an engine that won’t start

    My friend went out to start her car, but it wouldn’t catch no matter how much she cranked it.  The engine kept cranking but would not start.  Unfortunately, she cranked it so much that she killed the battery. 

    4. Mickey Mouse job or work: Poorly done work; a job or work that is lacking in good quality; slipshod work

    When the mechanic “fixed” my brakes, he did a Mickey Mouse job and I had to have a different mechanic do them again.  Some businesses always do Mickey Mouse work and eventually go out of business.

    5. To total a car: To have an accident in which the car is totally damaged beyond repair

    I totaled my father’s car in 1963, so he had to get another car.  It is easy to total newer cars because the repairs are so expensive that some new cars are not worth fixing.

    6. To rear end a car (a rearender): To hit a car from behind in an accident

    Rear end accidents are almost always the fault of the driver of the car the hits the car in front of it.  Rear end accidents often cause injuries to people’s backs and necks.

    7. A speeding ticket: A written notification from a policeman after he / she stops a motorist for driving over the speed limit; the price of the ticket is determined by how much over the speed limit the offending driver was going

    I haven’t had a speeding ticket in many years, and I don’t want one ever again.  Having many speeding tickets can cause a person’s insurance rate to jump up quickly.

    8. To bear right or bear left: To move toward the right or left; not to go straight ahead

    When coming to my house, bear left into the left turn lane and wait for the traffic light.  At the five-way intersection, bear to the right between the two major streets.

    9. To buckle up: To wear one's seat belt while driving in a car (It's the law!)

    A driver needs to make sure that everyone in his car buckles up before he starts driving.  If everyone is not bucked up, then the driver will have to pay a big fine.

    10. A dead end: A street that has only one way in and the same way out because there is only one exit

    There are lots of dead end streets to the east along the waterfront in downtown Seattle.  Dead end streets are usually safe because they are usually short and require people to turn around if they want to leave.

    11. A hit and run accident: An accident in which the driver of the car which hits another car, bicycle, or pedestrian fails to stop and do the legal matters associated with an accident; an accident where one driver drives away from the accident without stopping

    A man on a bicycle was killed last year on Dexter Avenue by a hit and run driver.  (The driver was sentenced to three years in jail for running away.)  If a person is convicted of a hit and run accident, he/she can expect to spend some time in jail.

    12. No standing zone: An area where parking is not permitted and where a car cannot even stop for a short while with someone in the car.

    Outside of businesses that have lots of delivery vehicles, there is often a no-standing sign because the delivery vehicles need to park to pick up or deliver goods.  On the side street of the post office near my house, there is a no standing zone.

    This page titled 3.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.1: Driving Idioms IV is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Don Bissonnette.