Meaning
What does Rubber Meets the Road mean?
Rubber meets the road, also known as Rubber hits the road is an idiomatic expression, used for situations where people are ready to test a theory in practice.
It has a wide variety of usage, although its most prevalent one is synonymous to the phrase Get Down to Brass Tacks.
Origin
What's the origin of Rubber Meets the Road?
“Rubber meets the road” is a product of the modern post-industrial lifestyle, with people’s travelling habits defined by the automotive industry.
This means that the expression only occurred in the last century, specifically during the 1950’s.
Although its exact origin is not known, an early excerpt from the newspaper Minneapolis Morning Tribune, featuring the expression was published on April 23rd, 1956.
It quickly spread, appearing in Dixon Evening Telegraph the same year.
Spread & Usage
How did Rubber Meets the Road spread?
With the passing of the decades, “Rubber meets the road” spread further across the anglosphere, becoming a widely used colloquialism of getting straight to the point.
It is still prevalent today, especially in the United States; however, it may also be encountered in the United Kingdom as well.
“Rubber meets the road” was first defined on Urban Dictionary on November 6th, 2009.