- prime the pump
- phrasal
: to take steps to encourage the growth, functioning, or expression of something; specifically : to attempt to stimulate employment or economic activity by government spending
this spending has not yet primed the pump — T.W.Arnold
— compare pump priming* * *
prime the pump phraseto help a business or activity to be successful, especially by providing money at the startThesaurus: to help something to progresssynonymMain entry: prime* * *
stimulate or support the growth or success of something by supplying it with moneycapital from overseas that helps prime the U.S. economic pump
* * *
prime the pump: to do something that will help a thing to grow or developThe government has to prime the pump to get the economy going.
That sort of language will only prime the pump for an ugly argument later.
• • •Main Entry: ↑prime————————• • •Main Entry: ↑pump* * *
prime the ˈpump idiomto encourage the growth of a new or weak business or industry by putting money into it
Useful english dictionary. 2012.