bump startn.
/ˈbʌmp stɑːt/, U.S. /ˈbəmp ˌstɑrt/ Originally British.
An act of bump-starting a motor vehicle. Also figurative.
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society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance in a vehicle > driving or operating a vehicle > [noun] > driving or operating a motor vehicle > method of starting
push start1938
bump start1968
bump-starting1972
1968 Guardian 2 Dec. 7/3 ‘Come and give me a little push, dear’..meant tearing out our guts getting the heavy thing up the slightest incline out of the garage for bump starts.
1989 Observer 5 Mar. 4/7 The engineer's report..was grim. It would only go with a bump start.
1991 Today 13 June 28/5 A small push today should suffice to give your luck the bump start it needs.
2005 D. Wolfe in B. Sherk I'll Never forget my First Car ii. 20 Luckily it had a standard transmission, and a quick bump start in second gear got her moving.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2018; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1968