pump someone's tires: meaning & examples

Meanings:

• 1.

  General Englishneutralliteral
  • To inflate the pneumatic tires of a vehicle using an air pump.

  Examples

  Beta

  • Before the road trip, Jake pumped his car's tires to the recommended pressure to ensure a smooth ride.

    Antes del viaje por carretera, Jake infló las llantas de su coche a la presión recomendada para asegurar un viaje suave.

  • Could you please pump my bike's tires? They look a bit flat after the long winter.

    ¿Podrías inflar las llantas de mi bicicleta? Se ven un poco desinfladas después del largo invierno.

  • She always pumps her tires carefully before every race to avoid any problems on the track.

    Ella siempre infla sus llantas cuidadosamente antes de cada carrera para evitar problemas en la pista.

  • The mechanic pumped the truck's tires early in the morning to get them ready for the heavy load.

    El mecánico infló las llantas del camión temprano en la mañana para prepararlas para la carga pesada.

• 2.

  United StatesUnited Kingdominformalcolloquialfigurative
  • To flatter or praise someone excessively in order to boost their ego or confidence.
  • To exaggerate someone's abilities or accomplishments to make them feel more important.

  Examples

  Beta

  • During the meeting, Sarah was clearly trying to pump the CEO's tires by complimenting every decision he made.

    Durante la reunión, Sarah claramente intentaba halagar al CEO alabando cada decisión que tomaba.

  • You shouldn’t just pump my tires to get a promotion; I value honest feedback more than flattery.

    No deberías simplemente halagarme para conseguir una promoción; valoro más la retroalimentación honesta que la adulación.

  • They were pumping the politician’s tires so much that it started to sound insincere to the audience.

    Estaban halagando tanto al político que comenzó a sonar insincero para la audiencia.