"pumping (up) someone's tires" = 'praise, flatter'

[Ben Zimmer]

I sent the cites along to Stefan Fatsis, and he incorporated them into
his discussion of the phrase at the end of the Slate sports podcast
"Hang Up and Listen" (starting at 38:38):

http://www.slate.com/id/2295840/


On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 2:03 AM, Garson O'Toole wrote:
>
> Ben Zimmer wrote:
> >The earliest sports example I've found so far is from Oct. 24, 1990, …
>
> Here is an example of a football coach using the expression in 1986:
>
> Cite: 1986 October 18, Gainesville Sun, College football matchups,
> Page 7C, Gainesville, Florida. (Google News Archive)
>
> "If you can break it down to a one-on-one people thing, I think you've
> got a chance. That's the only way to do it," said Chismar "Most kids
> really want to play in this type of game. It's a matter of trying to
> pump peoples' tires up."
>
> Here is a metaphorical use in 1955 that is distinct but may be of interest:
>
> Cite: GB 1955, Parents On The Run by Marguerite Beecher and Willard
> Beecher, GB Page 180, Julian Press, New York. (Google Books snippet;
> Unverified; Date probe shows 1955 copyright)
>
> There will be time enough to worry about his academic progress and
> pump up his academic tires, once the many slow leaks in his initiative
> have been patched up!
>
> http://books.google.com/books?id=FmW-Ljog0FAC&q=tires#search_anchor
>
> Garson
>
> On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 10:11 AM, Ben Zimmer
> <bgzimmer at babel.ling.upenn.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Stefan Fatsis inquired about a quote during the Stanley Cup finals
> > from Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, about his counterpart on
> > the Bruins:
> >
> > “I’ve been pumping his tires ever since the series started. I haven’t
> > heard any one nice thing he’s had to say about me, so that’s the way
> > it is.”
> >
> > On Google News Archive (http://bit.ly/jiFChe), there are a lot of
> > examples of "pump someone's tires," especially starting around 2005 in
> > NFL and NHL circles. The phrase ranges in meaning from 'praise so as
> > to provide a boost of confidence (as in a coach's pep talk)' to
> > 'praise or flatter excessively; blow smoke up someone's ass.' The
> > earliest sports example I've found so far is from Oct. 24, 1990,
> > quoting Phoenix Cardinals coach Joe Bugel on running back Johnny
> > Johnson: "I don't want to pump his tires, but I think he should be
> > Rookie of the Year."  (Bugel's from Pittsburgh, FWIW. I thought
> > initially it might be Canadian in origin, but I think it just happens
> > to be popular among hockey players and coaches.)
> >
> > On Google Books, there's this intriguing non-sports usage from 1967
> > which suggests the expression (or at least the "pump up" variant)
> > might be much older:
> >
> > http://books.google.com/books?id=UbtAAAAAIAAJ&q=%22pump+up%22
> > James C. Thomson, Jr., "Minutes of a White House Meeting, Summer, 1967"
> > in _Who We Are: An Atlantic Chronicle of the United States and Vietnam_ (1969)
> > "Mr. White reported that the Rhodesia thing might come unstuck over
> > the weekend. The Zambians were wobbly and could use some massaging.
> > The President might call in their ambassador and pump up his tires."
> >
> > Anyone have further insight into this?
> >
> > --bgz
> >
> > --
> > Ben Zimmer
> > http://benzimmer.com/

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