Just a quick poll about something that bothers me in Hollywood.
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1.What do you think of when someone says “jumpstart the car”?
2.What do you call it when someone fiddles around with the electrics to start a car without a key?
3. What do you call it when someones uses the clutch on a moving car to start the engine?
The reason it bothers me is cause Hollywood gets it wrong(at least in my mind). For example in My Blue Heaven Steve Martin talks about ‘jumping’ the car when he is clearly refering to ‘hot-wiring’. And in Children of Men They say you gotta jump the car, when they are clearly ‘push-starting’ or Pop-starting it. Those are the only two example I can think of right now, but Hollywood does it all the time.
To me ‘Jumping’ means exactly and only to start the car with an external battery source, Either another car or those little jump-packs. The other two uses really grate on my nerves, but I was curious if they are common to other folks or not? Do you use the stupid meanings of ‘jump’
“Jump” means Jump-start, like connecting another car’s battery to yours. Period.
Not sure what “fiddle around with the electrics” means. I presume you mean attempting to hotwire the car. That is hotwiring - manually connecting the circuit that a key usually connects
Never drove a manual, but I guess that’s “Push-starting?”
1.) The first thing I think of is the original meaning of the term, which is to start the car by getting it rolling and then, with the ignition switched on, engage the drivetrain* to make the engine turn over. However, I realize that it has come to also mean “start with jumper cables,” which is a much more common occurrence.
2.) I’m sure you’re referring to hot-wiring.
3.) A jump start.
*While this would be with a manual transmission the great majority of the time (put it in gear, depress the clutch, get it rolling, pop the clutch), it is also possible with some automatics (put it in neutral, get it rolling, shift into Drive).