to grab the wheel
5
5.0
- phrasal verb
:
agarrar el volante
- When the driver lost consciousness, I swiftly grabbed the wheel to prevent a crash.
- grabbed the wheel and turned
- grabbed the wheel with both hands
- grabbed the wheel, and I tried
And then a moment later you go, Greg, take the wheel, grabs the wheel and turns it.
- And then a moment later you go, Greg, take the wheel, grabs the wheel and turns it.
- No, like, I would be inching to grab the wheel every time.
Examples
-
Panicked, she slides over and grabs the wheel.
Fiction book (1993) -
I grabbed the wheel with my left hand.
Fiction book (2000) -
All right now grab the wheel!
-
- Grab the wheel, man.
-
Sit down there, Larry, and grab the wheel.
-
Grab the wheel and do it slow.
-
Grab the wheel, would you?
Fiction book (1999) -
"Ian, quick, grab the wheel," Susan said.
Fiction book (2001) -
She grabbed the wheel and I lost control.
Fiction book (2002) -
He looked scared and winded, but he quickly grabbed the wheel, tore the boat out of its circling motion, and headed away from the marina.
Fiction book (1991)
Synonyms
136
3.0
To take something quickly with your hand
23
4.7
To drive a car or have control of a situation
How Sudden
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to suddenly take control of the steering wheel' is directly derivable from combining 'grab' (to seize suddenly) with 'wheel' (the steering wheel), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the sense. This is a largely literal, cross-linguistically common construction, making the expression transparent rather than idiomatic.
Etymology
Grab the wheel comes from the literal image of a person who grabs the wheel of a car to steer it away from danger. So it means 'to suddenly take control' in an emergency.