add oil

English

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 加油 (jiāyóu), particularly in Hong Kong contexts via its Cantonese pronunciation gaa1 jau4-2,[1] sometimes credited to shouts of support during the Macau Grand Prix. Cf. cooking with gas, gas up, fuel up, etc.

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

add oil (third-person singular simple present adds oil, present participle adding oil, simple past and past participle added oil)

(idiomatic, chiefly Hong Kong) Synonym of let's go: a cheer of encouragement, support, etc.

References

“add oil, n.” under “add, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2021; “add oil, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

[1] “add oil, n.” under “add, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2021; “add oil, phrase”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.