traction
popularity, progress
TRANSLATION
traction = (fig.) an Popularität gewinnen traction = Haftung (z.B. Reifen) --- GOOGLE INDEX traction: approximately 114,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
Television is one of the few areas Apple has struggled to gain TRACTION with its products. But that could change by the end of the year.
(Investment U)
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Diesel cars gain TRACTION slowly in US market
(The Guardian, London)
(Investment U)
---
Diesel cars gain TRACTION slowly in US market
(The Guardian, London)
Did you
know?
traction
noun
- (fig.) the extent to which an idea, product, etc. gains popularity or acceptance
- the grip of a tyre on a road or a wheel on a rail
- the action of drawing or pulling something over a surface, especially a road or track
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Imagine for a moment sitting in a car at a stop light. The road is full of snow and ice. The light turns green, you press on the accelerator and the tyres turn, but the car doesn't move. No forward movement and no progress. This is what engineers call "no traction", a key issue for researchers at tyre companies. And of course in automobile racing, the teams and manufacturers have turned traction into a real science. Tyres and their ability to grip a road surface can mean the difference between winning and losing a race.
The concept of traction, as it applies to a vehicle, has been around for about as long as the automobile itself. Etymologists trace this usage as far back as the early 1800s. But it wasn't until the last few decades that the figurative sense of traction started to "gain traction." It is meanwhile a fixed element of business talk and typically refers to progress related to an idea, a project or product for instance.
The word traction stems from the Middle Latin tractionem (nominative tractio) and meant the act of "drawing or pulling". The original sense referred to pulling a dislocated arm or leg to reposition it. The medical field still uses traction in this sense. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "a sustained pull applied mechanically especially to the arm, leg, or neck so as to correct fractured or dislocated bones, overcome muscle spasms, or relieve pressure." We prefer the positive type of traction of course.
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SYNONYMS
(to get traction)
see movement (We're seeing some movement on this issue), realise progress (We have realised significant progress), gain ground (We gained ground since the last status meeting)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Thanks to the new design, the product line is finally getting some traction with consumers."
noun
- (fig.) the extent to which an idea, product, etc. gains popularity or acceptance
- the grip of a tyre on a road or a wheel on a rail
- the action of drawing or pulling something over a surface, especially a road or track
(Oxford English Dictionary)
---
Imagine for a moment sitting in a car at a stop light. The road is full of snow and ice. The light turns green, you press on the accelerator and the tyres turn, but the car doesn't move. No forward movement and no progress. This is what engineers call "no traction", a key issue for researchers at tyre companies. And of course in automobile racing, the teams and manufacturers have turned traction into a real science. Tyres and their ability to grip a road surface can mean the difference between winning and losing a race.
The concept of traction, as it applies to a vehicle, has been around for about as long as the automobile itself. Etymologists trace this usage as far back as the early 1800s. But it wasn't until the last few decades that the figurative sense of traction started to "gain traction." It is meanwhile a fixed element of business talk and typically refers to progress related to an idea, a project or product for instance.
The word traction stems from the Middle Latin tractionem (nominative tractio) and meant the act of "drawing or pulling". The original sense referred to pulling a dislocated arm or leg to reposition it. The medical field still uses traction in this sense. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "a sustained pull applied mechanically especially to the arm, leg, or neck so as to correct fractured or dislocated bones, overcome muscle spasms, or relieve pressure." We prefer the positive type of traction of course.
---
SYNONYMS
(to get traction)
see movement (We're seeing some movement on this issue), realise progress (We have realised significant progress), gain ground (We gained ground since the last status meeting)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"Thanks to the new design, the product line is finally getting some traction with consumers."
