beef up
to increase the size or strength of something
TRANSLATION
stärken
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
"Microsoft is trying to beef up its software offerings for large companies, particularly e-commerce businesses, but the concern still faces formidable competition from giants such as International business Machines Corp. and Oracle Corp.
(The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2000)
(The Wall Street Journal, November 7, 2000)
Did you
know?
Did you know?
The idiom "to beef up" has the very special meaning of to strengthen, reinforce, as in "the company needs to beef up its position to remain competitive." This phrase relies on an older slang sense of beef as "muscles" or "power."
There are two other interesting uses of the word beef:
1. "What's the beef?" meaning what is the source of a complaint (e.g. What's the beef? No one was hurt in the accident). This usage employs beef in the sense of a "complaint" or "grudge," also appearing in the phrase have no beef with, meaning "have no quarrel with." [Slang; late 1800s]
2. "Where's the beef?" meaning where is the content or substance (e.g. That was a very polished speech, but where's the beef?). This usage was originally the slogan for a television commercial for a hamburger chain attacking the poor quality of rival chains. (1984) The phrase was almost immediately transferred to other kinds of substance, especially in politics.
The idiom "to beef up" has the very special meaning of to strengthen, reinforce, as in "the company needs to beef up its position to remain competitive." This phrase relies on an older slang sense of beef as "muscles" or "power."
There are two other interesting uses of the word beef:
1. "What's the beef?" meaning what is the source of a complaint (e.g. What's the beef? No one was hurt in the accident). This usage employs beef in the sense of a "complaint" or "grudge," also appearing in the phrase have no beef with, meaning "have no quarrel with." [Slang; late 1800s]
2. "Where's the beef?" meaning where is the content or substance (e.g. That was a very polished speech, but where's the beef?). This usage was originally the slogan for a television commercial for a hamburger chain attacking the poor quality of rival chains. (1984) The phrase was almost immediately transferred to other kinds of substance, especially in politics.
