# Do the Tappet Brothers misuse the term "engage the clutch" in The Show? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Show\ **Created:** [July 17, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563 "2012-07-17T04:19:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Situationiste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@Situationiste](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Situationiste)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/1 "2012-07-17T04:19:36Z")
Seems to me that when you’re driving a manual transmission vehicle and you engage the clutch, you _decouple_ the flywheel from the transmission. My recollection is that T&R express the opposite action when talking about engaging the clutch i.e., that by engaging the clutch the flywheel and transmission are coupled. OTOH, maybe it’s one of those “flammable/inflammable” things or the inexorable march of English toward correctness per usage convention. Come to think of it, I could care less. Never mind, former Mechania staffer ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 5:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/2 "2012-07-17T05:15:04Z")
My understanding is the same as T&R. Comments about ‘clutch engagement’ relate to the process of taking your foot off the clutch pedal, not depressing it. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/3 "2012-07-17T05:42:18Z")
We have a choice of engage or disengage, to me engage is letting yore foot off the petal, and disengage is putting your foot on the pedal. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 6:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/4 "2012-07-17T06:32:21Z")
Exactly as Barkydog said. ---
**Author:** ![MTraveler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@MTraveler](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MTraveler)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/5 "2012-07-17T19:32:40Z")
Consider the term as applied to marriage. Engage is a promise to come together. Of course the opposite is divorce not disengagement. Personally I don’t want to marry my clutch I just want to live with it. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/6 "2012-07-17T22:09:01Z")
Clutch pedal out…engaged. Clutch pedal in…disengaged. ---
**Author:** ![Statesboro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Statesboro](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Statesboro)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/7 "2012-07-18T18:07:47Z")
I would say that engage means to use, which means to depress the pedal. But reading prior posts, that would be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![EllyEllis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f14d63/32.png) [@EllyEllis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/EllyEllis)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/8 "2012-07-19T00:32:39Z")
If you depress the clutch, you won’t be using it, I don’t understand how some people get a drivers licence. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/9 "2012-07-19T04:05:03Z")
One of the meanings of "engage’ is to make contact, make a mechanical connection, to interlock parts, etc. When you let clutch pedal out, the pressure plate forces the clutch to make contact w/ the flywheel and connects the engine to the xmission. That’s why letting the clutch pedal out is called “engaging the clutch”, and pushing the clutch pedal-- which releases the clutch from the flywheel – is called “disengaging”. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/do-the-tappet-brothers-misuse-the-term-engage-the-clutch-in-the-show/73563/10 "2012-07-21T21:40:06Z")
Yeah, engage-out, disengage-in, but I’ve never used the term myself. I just say slowly let the clutch out-too fast, try it again.