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Path: utzoo!utcs!lsuc!pesnta!hplabs!amdahl!rtech!jeff
From: jeff@rtech.ARPA (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: etymology of phrase, "kicking the tires" ??
Message-ID: <164@rtech.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 02:45:04 EST
Article-I.D.: rtech.164
Posted: Wed Feb 20 02:45:04 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Feb-85 11:42:25 EST
References: <100@mot.UUCP>
Organization: Relational Technology, Berkeley CA
Lines: 16

> []
> anyone know the origin of this phrase?  if, presumably, it actually refers
> to people hauling off and giving the treads a good swift one, why in the
> world were they doing it?  i've been curious about this one for years.
> -- 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Fred Christiansen, Motorola Microsystems,  2900 S Diablo Way,  Tempe, AZ  85282

To "kick the tires" means to test something in a superficial way.  For some
reason, people buying cars sometimes kick the tires lightly.  It doesn't show
anything except the ignorance of the buyer; to a car seller this action
indicates a yokel.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak