See prime the pump in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"etymology_text": "As an idiomatic term, from the 1930s. From the metaphor of filling (priming) a liquid pump in order to prepare it for operation.",
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{
"ref": "1935, Congressional Record, page 4087:",
"text": "[…] by supplying, through the Federal Treasury, a sufficient flow of finance and currency that will prime the pump and keep it going until it can start its flow from the well or fountain of national resources.",
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"To engage in deficit spending ."
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{
"ref": "2001, Asa E. Lennon, The Forgotten Self: A Book of Reminders, →ISBN, page 112:",
"text": "For example, if you give money to a charity, as a tax reduction or to prime the pump for more money to flow to you, than the actual intent is not making someone else happy, but yourself.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2002, Dana Stabenow, A Fine and Bitter Snow, →ISBN, page 180:",
"text": "Kate primed the pump by telling the story of Dina teaching her to rappel.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It, →ISBN:",
"text": "A good way to prime the pump of generosity is by starting with the intangibles such as a smile, or a simple courtesy such as opening a door for someone or extending some other random act of kindness.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2012 -, Poppy Smith, Why Can't He Think More Like Me?, →ISBN:",
"text": "If you're starving for some admiring comments, you might have to prime the pump.",
"type": "quote"
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"To give something in order to create the conditions where others will give in return."
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],
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"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2002, Dana Stabenow, A Fine and Bitter Snow, →ISBN, page 180:",
"text": "Kate primed the pump by telling the story of Dina teaching her to rappel.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2011, Dennis Merritt Jones, The Art of Uncertainty: How to Live in the Mystery of Life and Love It, →ISBN:",
"text": "A good way to prime the pump of generosity is by starting with the intangibles such as a smile, or a simple courtesy such as opening a door for someone or extending some other random act of kindness.",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2012 -, Poppy Smith, Why Can't He Think More Like Me?, →ISBN:",
"text": "If you're starving for some admiring comments, you might have to prime the pump.",
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}
],
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"To give something in order to create the conditions where others will give in return."
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Download raw JSONL data for prime the pump meaning in English (3.3kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
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