Etymology Journal ยท K
Keep both hands on the wheel
Meaning
- A literal driving instruction that has become a metaphor for staying focused on the task at hand. It implies that distractions will lead to a crash.
Serious, advisory
Used in a sentence
- Stop texting and keep both hands on the wheel.
- We have a lot of work to finish this quarter so keep both hands on the wheel.
- Dad always reminded us to keep both hands on the wheel during icy weather.
The backstory
This comes directly from early 20th-century driver safety education. It gained popularity as cars became common household items.
Heard in
Nationwide
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