In an interview with The Economist, US President Donald Trump said he created the economics phrase 'prime the pump' when he used it during talks on his plans to lower taxes even if it increased government deficits.
"Have you heard that expression used before? Because I haven’t heard it. I mean, I just…I came up with it a couple of days ago and I thought it was good. It’s what you have to do."
However, the phrase 'priming the pump' is a common term refers to countries using government tax and spending to boost their economy.
Its origins are to do with how water is sourced from wells: water would traditionally be poured into a pump to begin the process of extracting water from the well.
It became a metaphor in the 1930s when US President Franklin Roosevelt pumped money into the economy in an attempt to counteract the Great Depression.
Trump's claim drew the attention of the Merriam-Webster dictionary, who posted their definition of the word, as well as others on social media.
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