Add oil

Common card · No. 310543

"Add oil" is a Hong Kong English expression used as an encouragement and support to a person. Derived from the Chinese phrase Gayau (or Jiayou; Chinese: 加油), the expression is literally translated from the Cantonese phrase. It is originated in Hong Kong and is commonly used by bilingual Hong Kong speakers. "Add oil" can be roughly translated as "Go for it". Though it is often described as "the hardest to translate well", the literal translation is the result of Chinglish and was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2018. The phrase is commonly used at sporting events and competitions by groups as a rallying cheer and can also be used at a personal level as a motivating phrase to the partner in the conversation. It is commonly believed that the term originated from first being used at the Macau Grand Prix during the 1960s, possibly from contact with the Portuguese expression «dá-lhe gás», a common cheer by supporters urging the driver to "put more oil into it/step on the gas" during...

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