General
hammer down
What does hammer down mean?
Putting the hammer down means stomping the accelerator and running flat out. The 'hammer' is the gas pedal. Used as both an instruction ('hammer down, we got daylight all the way to Toledo') and as a sign-off wishing the other driver a fast clean run. The CB shorthand for 'go, go, go.'
"Road's clear, no bears reported, hammer down and I'll see you in Albuquerque."
Origin
1970s trucker slang. The 'hammer' metaphor for the accelerator pedal comes from how the pedal strikes down to engage full throttle. Cemented in pop culture by C.W. McCall's 1975 hit 'Convoy.'
Frequently asked questions
What does hammer down mean?
Hammer down means to floor it — pedal to the metal, going full speed.
How do you use hammer down in a sentence?
A trucker might say, "Clear road ahead, so I'm hammer down to the next stop."
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