Kick the tires?

Reader question:

Please explain this sentence: They kicked the tires on a new business, and it paid off.

My comments:

Tires being American spelling for tyres….

Oh, tyres, tyres on the wheels.

Why do people kick them, then?

People kick the tires, or tyres, to see if they’re tough and in condition.

Nobody does this any more, of course.

But in the old days, say 100 years ago, when automobiles were only beginning to be mass-produced, tyres or tires were understandably much poorer in quality than they are today.

OK, you’ve got it.

Before people started their vehicle, many back in the day used to kick the four wheels to see if the tires are inflated and in workable condition.

It is from this practice that the expression “kicking the tires” made its way into mainstream American language – meaning doing the normal and necessary check-ups before any endeavor.

In our example above, those people started a brand new business and made money in consequence. In other words, the entrepreneurs started a new company after careful preparation and succeeded.

So, in short, next time you see someone kicking the tires on something (or someone, for that matter), you know they’re evaluating the situation before taking further action.

And here are media examples:

1. As the owners of TVGuide.com and the TV Guide Network want to sell, Open Gate Capital is seeking to include the print publication in a possible package deal worth $400 million - while the private equity firm denies that the magazine is for sale.

The private-equity owners of TV Guide would like to sell the magazine -- preferably to someone who would combine it with TVGuide.com and the TV Guide Network.

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that OpenGate Capital, which purchased TV Guide in 2008, is open to the suggestion of reuniting the three assets. According to published reports, the TV network and website, which are owned by Lionsgate and One Equity Partners, are both for sale. The network could fetch as much as $350 million, while the website might generate a bid in the $20 million range.

But when combined with the print magazine, a reunited company could go for $400 million or more and possibly attract more bidders.

Four years ago, OpenGate paid just $1 for the 59-year-old TV Guide, plus the assumption of liability to the tune of 3 million subscribers at roughly $20 apiece. The magazine boasted $125 million in annual revenue back then but was losing $15 million a year. OpenGate reorganized it and insiders say the magazine earns as much as $5 million annually on $70 million revenue. TV Guide has boasted 2 million subscribers, 100,000 rack sales and an audience of 10 million each week.

“The focus has moved from ‘when to watch’ to ‘what to watch,’ and people have always valued TV Guide’s input,” said an insider. “It’s a profitable business. But a brand should be aggregated under one roof.”

TVGuide.com has its own staff that reports, writes posts and produces original video. Under a licensing deal between the two entities, TV Guide magazine’s content, original reporting and news also is posted on the site.

Yahoo has been eyed as a potential bidder for TVGuide.com, while CBS and Discovery Communications are said to be those considering a bid for TV Guide Network. It’s not known who, if anyone, has kicked the tires on TV Guide magazine.

- TV Guide Magazine Also for Sale, HollywoodReporter.com, November 28, 2017.

2. The trade deadline is Thursday, but already there are some teams looking ahead to the potential for an added player bonanza that open up in the coming weeks.

That’s because the market has been very light for some big-name veterans who are very much on the trading block, starting with Celtics big man David Lee. Boston acquired Lee from the Warriors last summer, but he was quickly nudged out of the rotation and has logged a career-low 15.7 minutes in just 30 games. The Celtics, a source said, have tried to deal Lee to a Western Conference team, for fear that he could bolster one of the crowd of East playoff teams the Celtics might see this spring (Washington or Indiana, for example).

Another name to watch should Thursday’s deadline pass without a deal is Minnesota’s Kevin Martin. The Timberwolves have tried to trade Martin for a year now, and considered buying him out last February before ultimately keeping him. Martin is 33 and doesn’t fit in the Wolves’ rebuilding plans, but there’s been no market for him, and he will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Dallas and Milwaukee, among others, has kicked the tires on him (as had Charlotte, before acquiring Courtney Lee) but with the possibility of him being waived after the trade deadline, there has not been much urgency to acquire him.

- NBA trade deadline chatter: Waiting for waivers may be the best move, SportingNews.com, February 17, 2016.

3. Antonio Cromartie might not be the player he once was, but at 32, he still feels like he can still help a team with needs at cornerback. So where does the one-time Florida State standout and former first-round pick, who has played with the Chargers, Cardinals and Jets, want to continue his career?

“My dream choice? That’d be the Dallas Cowboys,” Cromartie told TMZ.com recently. “That’s very high on my list.”

If that sounds familiar, it should; in March, Cromartie lobbied Hall of Famer and Cowboys legend Michael Irvin about coming to Dallas.

As CBSSports.com’s Jared Dubin wrote at the time, it might be worth the Cowboys’ time to kick the tires on Cromartie, especially if he’s willing to play for something close to the veteran minimum. Dubin notes: “He can’t possibly be worse than the corners the Cowboys have been throwing out there over the last few years, as Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne have struggled greatly.”

- Antonio Cromartie: Playing with Cowboys would be ‘dream choice’, CBSSports.com, April 18, 2016.

About the author:

Zhang Xin is Trainer at chinadaily.com.cn. He has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.