add oil

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add oil

Where it comes from

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

verb adds oil · adding oil · added oil

China, Hong Kong, idiomatic Synonym of let's go: a cheer of encouragement, support, etc.
Similar: let's go

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MLA

"add oil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/add%20oil. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

add oil. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/add%20oil

Chicago

"add oil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/add%20oil.

BibTeX

@misc{add_oil_2026,
  title = {add oil},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/add%20oil},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}