- hot-wire
- transitive verb Date: 1954 to start (as an automobile) by short-circuiting the ignition system
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
hot-wire
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hot wire — hot wires, hot wiring, hot wired VERB If someone, especially a thief, hot wires a car, they start its engine using a piece of wire rather than the key. [V n] A youth was inside the car, attempting to hot wire it … English dictionary
hot-wire — v. t. to start (a car) by using a wire instead of a key, as when stealing the car; the wire is connected to points in the ignition circuit that bypass the key. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
hot-wire — ☆ hot wire [hät′wīr΄ ] vt. hot wired, hot wiring Slang to start the engine of (an automobile, boat, etc.) without a key, as by crossing ignition wires … English World dictionary
hot-wire — v [T] informal to start the engine of a vehicle using the wires of the ↑ignition system, instead of a key … Dictionary of contemporary English
hot-wire — hot ,wire verb transitive INFORMAL to start the engine of a car by connecting wires rather than using a key, usually in order to steal the car … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
hot-wire — hot′ wire′ v. t. wired, wir•ing aum sts to start the engine of (a motor vehicle) by short circuiting the ignition • Etymology: 1950–55 … From formal English to slang
hot-wire — ► VERB informal ▪ start the engine of (a vehicle) by bypassing the ignition switch … English terms dictionary
hot-wire — verb start (a car engine) without a key by bypassing the ignition interlock The woman who lost the car keys had to hot wire her van • Hypernyms: ↑start, ↑start up • Verb Frames: Somebody s something * * * ˈhot wire f5 [ … Useful english dictionary
hot-wire — v. /hot wuyeur /; adj. /hot wuyeur /, v., hot wired, hot wiring, adj. v.t. 1. Slang. to start the engine of (a motor vehicle) by short circuiting the ignition. adj. 2. Elect., Engin. depending for its operation on the lengthening or increasing… … Universalium
hot-wire — /ˈhɒt waɪə/ (say hot wuyuh) adjective 1. of or relating to a hot wire. 2. (of an ammeter or voltmeter) using the expansion, or change in resistance, of a wire when it is heated by the passage of a current. –verb (t) (hot wired, hot wiring) 3. to… …
hot-wire — UK / US verb [transitive] Word forms hot wire : present tense I/you/we/they hot wire he/she/it hot wires present participle hot wiring past tense hot wired past participle hot wired informal to start the engine of a car by connecting wires rather … English dictionary
