kick the tires and light the fires en · VERB
Etymology
From kick the tires, referring to a preflight check of the landing gear, and light the fires, referring to the ignition of the afterburners, a part of the engine which burns extra fuel for a speed boost.
Meanings
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(US, slang, used by fighter pilots) To take off.
His face appears in the open window of the pilot's seat on the flight deck. He is ready. I am ready. It's time to kick the tires and light the fires.
1998, Jimmy Buffett, A Pirate Looks at Fifty (2000 Random House edition), p. 108 (Google preview)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| kicks the tires and lights the fires | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| kicked the tires and lit the fires | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| kicked the tires and lit the fires | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| kicking the tires and lighting the fires | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |