prime the pump
Seed initial investment
To prime the pump is to inject money or resources into an economic system to stimulate activity, from the literal action of pouring water into a pump to create suction.
The phrase appears in discussions of government spending: Tax cuts were meant to prime the pump.
More broadly, it means to provide initial input that enables a process to become self-sustaining: We offered free samples to prime the pump for future sales.
- initiateTo set in motion
- get the ball rollingInitiate an activity
- activateCause to function
- kickstartInitiate with force
- jump startEmergency battery charge
stimulate · revitalize · encourage · pick up the tab · spur · grease the wheels · catalyze · preloading · fiscal policy · promote · infrastructure funding · cash injection · public investment · configuring · calibrating · government spending · incentive · fund
prime the pumpausterity
Enforced economic stringency
fiscal austerity · austerity measures · tighten the purse strings · belt-tightening · retrenchment
prime the pumppull the plug
Discontinue or terminate something
shut down · cut off · choke off · bring to a halt · stall
prime, pump, primed, priming, primer, primes, pumps, pumped, pumping