Picture this: you’re in the middle of a deep explanation of hybrid ZF eight-speed transmissions on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show, and the engineer describing how a clutch disengages the hybrid drive of the transmission asks you if you’re aware of a certain feeling you get when “you WOT it,” but you have no idea what she just said.
That was me a few months ago, and the engineer patiently explained to me that “WOT it” means wide-open-throttle it, pronounced “w-ought-it.” Basically, it just means to punch it, slam the gas, hit the beans, etc. Without seeing it spelled out like that, and instead just thrown in the middle of a sentence, it caught me off guard.
And then, a little more recently, somebody hopped out of an older car and gleefully exclaimed that the car was quite a “dash-slapper.” This meant that the car was so good, it just makes you want to slap the dash, like an aggressive pet on a very good dog, I guess.
So I’m curious what other weird, enthusiast-exclusive expressions are being thrown around out there. How extensive is this language? Are there region-specific terms? Am I the only one who had never heard somebody talk about launching a car as “WOT-ing it?”