'Pump the brakes' doesn't mean what you think

Hit the brakes. You know what I mean, right? Slow down. Check yourself.

For some reason though, the simple − and accurate − phrase “hit the brakes” has been widely replaced with “pump the brakes.”

In the immortal words of Inigo Montoya ("Princess Bride" fans will know who that is): I do not think that means what you think it means.