spare tire

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spare tire

1. A layer of excess fat around one's midsection. I think I need to lay off the junk food, because this spare tire of mine is getting a bit out of hand.

2. An unhelpful, unnecessary, unproductive, or unwanted person in a group. There are a few spare tires on this project who are really holding back our progress. Ever since John's girlfriend started hanging out with us, it's left me feeling like a spare tire.

See also: spare, tire

spare tire

1. a thickness in the waist; a roll of fat around one's waist. I've got to get rid of this spare tire. The spare tire started when I was twenty-six.

2. an unneeded person; an unproductive person. Gary is a spare tire. Send him home. You spare tires over there! Get to work.

See also: spare, tire

spare tire

Fat around one's middle, as in He's determined to lose ten pounds and that spare tire he's acquired. This expression transfers the term for an extra tire carried in cars in case of a flat tire to excess fat around the waist. [Colloquial; mid-1900s]

See also: spare, tire

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

a spare tyre

If someone has a spare tyre, they have a large circle of fat around their waist. Note: `Tyre' is spelled `tire' in American English. He had long, wavy hair, a big diamond ring and a spare tyre around his middle.

a ˌspare ˈtyre

(British English) (American English a ˌspare ˈtire) a roll of flesh around the waist: He went on a diet to try and lose his spare tyre.

spare tire

1. n. a thickness in the waist; a roll of fat around one’s waist. The spare tire started when I was twenty-six.

2. n. an unneeded person; an unproductive person. Gary is a spare tire. Send him home.

See also: spare, tire

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References in periodicals archive ?

Instead of finding a spare tire in the trunk, he saw a tire-inflator kit, with a small air compressor and a can of sealant to use in case of a flat.

Where the heck is my spare tire?

The rigid, tough outside shell is composed of fiberglass-fortified polyester--strong enough to haul a full-size spare tire on top.

Car camping reborn: ride and camp in style and comfort with this new-age take on an old-school tradition

In a report filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Toyota said spare tires could fall off and that brake function could be affected if the rear part of the vehicle frame suffers corrosion from road salts used in cold-climate regions.

Toyota recalls Tundra pickup trucks in U.S. over corrosion

This should improve safety if the temporary spares are used correctly, because fewer old full-size spare tires will be put into service.

Are your old tires safe?

Most experienced drivers carried two or three spare tire casings, several extra inner tubes, a tire pump and a patch kit.

Wild ride: early automobile experience were unpredictable

An ample stock of spare tires is critical, as is availability of a towing service.

Community sensitivity

Traditional bike racks generally don't adapt well to features such as rear-mounted spare tires, gutterless "aerodynamic" car roofs, or fiberglass shells.

New bike racks: designs for almost every vehicle

The shed housed spare tires for DPW trucks and equipment, lawn mowers and other grounds maintenance equipment, ornamental streetlight fixtures and poles, park benches and other miscellaneous equipment.

`Red Shed' roof collapses

The agency said it has received 20 claims regarding the vehicle's brake system failures or spare tires falling off due to frame corrosion.

Toyota pledges full cooperation in U.S. probe into Tundra trucks

Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Akron, OH, has planned a $7.5 billion expansion at its Canadian manufacturing facility in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, to produce all bias convenience spare tires for North America.

Zeon Chemicals to acquire DSM's NBR business

To save interior space, many vehicles (mostly high-riding rides such as sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks) have spare tires located beneath the load floor (outside).

Auto almanac

The organization shipped Mexican-grown marijuana from Arizona to the Fitchburg area to be distributed throughout New England before the DEA's wiretapping investigation helped uncover drugs hidden in spare tires and stash houses.