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kick the tires

To inspect a vehicle's tires by kicking them to check for defects or poor quality.

Etymology:

  • Early 20th century. Tires on early automobiles were made of thin rubber and were sometimes of poor quality, hence a prospective buyer might kick them to see how thick they were or if they would deflate.
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Submitted on July 07, 2010

Additional definitions for 'kick the tires':

kick the tiresTo inspect something to ensure it meets expected standards or has favored characteristics, typically before committing to purchasing or otherwise selecting it.
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da cu piciorul în cauciucuri

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to kick the tires

kick up one's heelskick the habitkick up one's heelskick to the curbkick over the tracesneeds a swift kick in the slats!kick the tyreslook for a dog to kickkick with the other footkick upon a kickkick up a fusskick upkick the dust

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