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is it coming down the pipe or coming down the pike

by Prof. Richard Hintz Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Coming Down the Pike or Pipe
The idiom meaning soon to happen or appear was originally coming down the pike, not coming down the pipe, but both forms are now widely used and understood. In coming down the pike, the noun pike is short for turnpike, which is a broad road, sometimes a toll road.

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What does "down the pike" mean?

What is a pike?

Who said repealing PeachCare is the worst piece of legislation?

Is the New Jersey Turnpike still in use?

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What's coming down the pike meaning?

going to happen sometime soonIf you say something is coming down the pike, that means it's going to happen sometime soon.

Where does the saying coming down the pike come from?

As the chief roads that connected cities and towns before highways, turnpikes brought untold and unforeseen things: visitors, freight, opportunity. So the use of down the pike to describe the arrival of the unknown makes sense.

What does put down the pipe mean?

(slang, vulgar) To have penetrative sex with a woman.

Where did the saying coming down the pipe come from?

The earliest origin of this phrase means "coming down the turnpike." Today, we might say "coming down the highway." A turnpike is the predecessor to the toll road. The pike, or long pole, was set so that it blocked the road, but could be turned to allow the traveler to pass after the toll was paid.

What does pike stand for?

Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ), commonly known as PIKE, is a college fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1868. The fraternity has over 225 chapters and colonies across the United States and abroad with over 15,500 undergraduate members over 300,000 lifetime initiates. Pi Kappa Alpha. ΠΚΑ Founded.

What is a pike Boston slang?

The Pike = The Massachusetts Turnpike (i.e. I-90) The Expressway = The section of I-93 south of Boston, or the Distressway. Sub = submarine sandwich, grinder, hoagie. The B's = Boston Bruins. The C's (or the Celts) = Boston Celtics.

What does put the pipe mean?

The colloquial phrase put that in your pipe and smoke it and its variants mean accept or put up with what has been said or done, even if it is unwelcome.

Is it rude to say pipe down?

to become quiet; to cease making noise; to shut up. (Especially as a rude command.) Pipe down! I'm trying to sleep.

Is it Pike or pipe volleyball?

A “Pipe” is an in-system, 2nd or 3rd-step tempo set to a back row attacker in the middle of the court. An in-system pipe is a 3rd-step set. An out-of-system pipe is a 1st-step or 2nd-step set. A “D” is a 2nd-step tempo set to a back-row attacker on the right side of the court.

What does pipe down mean in British slang?

to become quiet or quieter; stop shouting, talking, etc.

What does pipe down mean literally?

: to stop talking or making noise.

What is at the Pike?

Located next to the Convention Center and Aquarium of the Pacific, The Pike Outlets is a shopping and dining destination located in Long Beach, CA. The center features over 344,000 square feet of great retailers and entertainment options including: Restoration Hardware Outlet.

Which is correct: coming down the "pike" or "pipe"?

Basing on the Corpus of Contemporary American English, coming down the pipe is more used when speaking, and in magazines; it is also used more frequently since 2000. You can find the expression in sentences like. And there is a big concern about what's coming down the pipe. […] sold on the DVD recorders, because there are some newer technologies coming down the pipe soon.

Is it Pike or Pipe? | Absolute Write Water Cooler

Thanks for all the answers, y'all. I felt sure one or the other would be the "correct" way to say it. Appears either is acceptable, depending on your area, etc.

Coming Down the . . . Pike or Pipe? - BusinessWritingBlog

The other day I was reading a writing sample for the class Meeting Notes Made Easy, when I found a sentence like this one: We are waiting to see what comes down the pipe. The sentence implies that you are standing beneath the pipe looking up–not a good idea. The original expression is "coming down the […]

Writing Tip 185: “Down the Pike” vs. “Down the Pipe”

Here’s another often confused idiom. Is it coming “down the pike” or “down the pipe”? Both have their logical arguments. Something could travel through a pipe toward you (e.g., water through pipes, emerging via a spigot), or something could travel along a pike

Coming down the pike - Idioms by The Free Dictionary

So my not-so-modest proposal is that you give a hand to our benighted Federal regulators and extend your protective umbrella to the entire American investing public by agreeing to serve on an advisors' advisory panel that will get to vet every new investment product coming down the pike before that product can be sold, sorry, offered as a solution, to your clients.

What does "coming down the pike" mean?

In coming down the pike, the noun pike is short for turnpike, which is a broad road, sometimes a toll road. This usage of pike originated in the U.S. in the early 19th century, and the earliest known instances of coming down the pike appeared around 1900.

How often does down the pipe appear?

In current searchable news publications, down the pipe appears once for every two instances of down the pike (though some instances of down the pipe have to do with plumbing). Examples such as these are easy to find:

Is "pipe" a familiar word?

Meanwhile, pipe is of course a very familiar word, and things do come down pipes sometimes, so it’s easy to see why pipe has taken pike ‘s place in the idiom, even if the pipe metaphor doesn’t hold up under logical scrutiny.

What does "coming down the pike" mean?

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms has an entry on "coming down the pike", and says that it's "based on the literal meaning of pike (a large road)". It does not have an entry on "coming down the pipe".

What is the most used phrase in the CoCA?

Comparing coming down the pipe and coming down the pike, the most used phrase (as reported by the CoCA) is coming down the pike, which is used more frequently in all the 1995–2010 period.

Is the phrase "pike" the original?

In other words, the expression with "pike" is the original one, but the "pipe" variant cannot be labeled as "wrong" at this point in time. Both are widely used and understood.

Where does coming down the pike come from?

Coming down the pike is a form of the phrase come down the pike, which means “to appear” or “to happen,” usually (but not always) soon. The phrase coming down the pike has been used in the specific sense of “going to happen or appear in the near future” since at least the 1970s.

Examples of coming down the pike

Felt good to write again. Got some good stuff coming down the pike soon. You're not going to want to miss it.

Who uses coming down the pike?

Coming down the pike is informal and fairly common. It’s typically used in the context of something that’s expected to happen soon.

What does "coming down the pike" mean?

Coming down the pike is a metaphor for “coming along your way.” Pike is short for turnpike. The idea is that something is headed on a path in your direction.

What does the sentence "standing beneath the pipe" mean?

The sentence implies that you are standing beneath the pipe while looking up: not a good idea.

What does "pike" mean in a sentence?

Pike or Pipe? The sentence implies that you are standing beneath the pipe looking up–not a good idea. ... The original expression is "coming down the pike." It refers to coming down the turnpike, with the image of something getting bigger as it moves toward us.

What is the dance move hit the woah?

The other dance move was a lock and bounce moves, with your arms motioning at front and centre of you.' hit the woah ' is a dance move to be used when the beat drops in a song. You pretend to be holding a steering wheel at 10 to 5, then turn the imaginary wheel quickly, perhaps as if avoiding hitting something.

How many annotations does the idiom "hands down" have?

2. Overview: The idiom ‘hands down’ has two annotations, viz.,

How did sailors get their signals?

On sailing ships signals were given to the crew by blowing whistles (pipes). One such was the signal to go below decks. When an officer wanted a sailor to be dismissed below he would have him 'piped down'.

Why is it wrong to say "take another tack"?

The same problem arises with “take another tack,” a figure of speech based on one way that a sailboat can change direction. People say “take another tact,” which is simply wrong, because “tack” in the nautical sense is not a familiar word for them. “Coming down the pipe” is at least a sensible alternative to “coming down the pike,” but “taking another tact” isn’t meaningful.

What does "coming down the pike" mean?

The original expression is "coming down the pike." It refers to coming down the turnpike, with the image of something getting bigger as it moves toward us.

Is "coming down the pipe" correct?

The experts have spoken: The expression is "coming down the pike." Remember: The fact that Google offers 6,370,000 hits for "coming down the pipe" doesn't make the expression correct–except maybe if you work for an oil company.

What does "down the pike" mean?

All news came via travellers and messengers coming down the turnpike. Today, down the pike refers to something appearing or coming into view.

Is "pipe" an archaic word?

Because pike is an uncommon (arguably archaic) word, people unsurprisingly hear it as pipe . The thing about down the pipe is that it makes sense. Pipelines, for example, deliver things (gas, oil, water, etc), and since their contents flow, the destination could be considered downstream of the origin. Likewise, some office buildings use a vacuum tube network to send and receive messages; messages sent through this network of pipes could be said to be coming down the pipe.

Is "down the pipe" correct?

While technically incorrect, down the pipe is a popular version of this saying. There are over 53 million results when searching for the phrase on Google. Compare that to only 16 million or so for down the pike. Granted, the above search results would include usage not specific to this form (such as “The city was laying down the pipe in the new subdivision.”).

What does "down the pike" mean?

What to Know. The original phrase, down the pike, means "in the course of events" or, more recently, "in the future. ". "Pike" here is short for turnpike and the phrase refers metaphorically to something coming from further along the road.

What is a pike?

The pike in this case is short for turnpike, which can refer to any main road but originally referred specifically to one on which tolls were collected. In Middle English, the turnepike was a revolving frame, studded with spikes, that served as a barrier, preventing traffic (presumably a horse) from advancing until the driver paid the toll.

Who said repealing PeachCare is the worst piece of legislation?

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia, said that the repeal bill was “the worst piece of legislation that has come down the pipe yet.”. He said Congress would want to reauthorize the indigent hospital care and PeachCare programs. “Hopefully, Republicans in Congress can walk and chew bubble gum on that issue,” he said.

Is the New Jersey Turnpike still in use?

Although turnpikes are still in use and named as such--the New Jersey Turnpike is a particularly famous one--the use of pike as shorthand for turnpike might only be familiar to those who live in the vicinity of one. In Massachusetts, for example, the highway that forms the backbone of the state is known to locals as the Mass Pike.

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1.Coming Down the Pike vs. Down the Pipe | Merriam …

Url:https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/down-the-pike-vs-down-the-pipe-idiom-usage

28 hours ago Coming Down the Pike is the Correct Phrase. When something is coming down the pike, it means something is about to happen. The phrase references any main road with a toll gate that …

2.Coming Down the Pike vs. Coming Down the Pipe

Url:https://grammarist.com/usage/down-the-pike-down-the-pipe/

11 hours ago Comparing coming down the pipe and coming down the pike, the most used phrase (as reported by the CoCA) is coming down the pike, which is used more frequently in all the 1995–2010 …

3.Videos of is It coming down the Pipe Or coming down the pike

Url:/videos/search?q=is+it+coming+down+the+pipe+or+coming+down+the+pike&qpvt=is+it+coming+down+the+pipe+or+coming+down+the+pike&FORM=VDRE

20 hours ago  · Coming Down the Pike or Pipe The idiom meaning soon to happen or appear was originally coming down the pike, not coming down the pipe, but both forms are now widely …

4.Which is correct: coming down the "pike" or "pipe"?

Url:https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/2413/which-is-correct-coming-down-the-pike-or-pipe

18 hours ago  · Coming Down the Pike is the Correct Phrase When something is coming down the pike, it means something is about to happen. The phrase references any main road with a toll …

5.coming down the pike Meaning & Origin | Slang by …

Url:https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/coming-down-the-pike/

34 hours ago  · Coming down the pike is a form of the phrase come down the pike, which means “to appear” or “to happen,” usually (but not always) soon. The phrase coming down the pike has …

6.Is it “coming down the pipe” or “coming down the pike

Url:https://www.quora.com/Is-it-coming-down-the-pipe-or-coming-down-the-pike-What-do-these-phrases-mean

7 hours ago It should be “coming down the pike,” although “coming down the ‘pipe’” is also logical. The word “pike” is short for “turnpike.”. A toll road was called a “turnpike” because a barrier shaped like a …

7.Coming Down the . . . Pike or Pipe? - BusinessWritingBlog

Url:https://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2012/02/coming-down-the-pike-or-pipe.html

23 hours ago The experts have spoken: The expression is "coming down the pike." Remember: The fact that Google offers 6,370,000 hits for "coming down the pipe" doesn't make the expression …

8.Difference between down the pike and down the pipe

Url:https://www.hotpepper.ca/blog/2017/09/27/difference-between-down-the-pike-and-down-the-pipe/

25 hours ago  · Today, down the pike refers to something appearing or coming into view. Down the pipe. While technically incorrect, down the pipe is a popular version of this saying. There …

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