kick start
- noun
- /ˈkɪk stɑrt/
- Specialized
:
palanca de arranque
- After a few tries, he finally managed to engage the kick start to get the engine running.
Examples
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She learned how to use the kick start on her new bike before taking it for a ride.
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To start my motorcycle, I pressed the kick start lever with my foot.
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If I take this off and give it a kick start, it will then work.
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This kick starts the economy and, finally, the shop assistant can get the job back because the grocery store is making enough money to hire a person.
Blog text (20)
Synonyms
34
3.5
A device that makes a car or machine engine start
4
3.5
A switch in a car that starts the engine
1
4.0
An electric motor that turns a car engine to start it
A lever on a motorcycle you push with your foot to start the motor
A metal crank you put into an engine and turn by hand to make it run
A small electric motor in a car that turns the engine to start it
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun meaning 'a lever ... operated with the foot to start the engine' is directly derivable from combining 'kick' (to strike with the foot) and 'start' (to cause to begin): it literally denotes a way to start something by kicking. This clear, compositional relation follows common cross-linguistic logic for compounds describing means of beginning an action, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely understand it.
Etymology
Kick start is the name for the metal lever on a motorcycle that you push with your foot to make the engine start, because you give it a kick. So the noun means 'to start the engine'.