beefcake

English

WOTD – 10 October 2011

Two beefcakes.

Alternative forms

• beef-cake

Etymology

From beef +‎ cake. In sense 1, by analogy with cheesecake (“an image of a sexy young woman”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbiːfˌkeɪk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːfkeɪk

Noun

beefcake (countable and uncountable, plural beefcakes)

1. (informal, uncountable) Imagery of one or more muscular, well-built men.
   • 1982 December 25, J. Grainger, “Gay-by-Gay Calendars at a Glance”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 23, page 9:

     No look at gay related calendars would be complete without at least a mention of those beefcake spreads. GCN only received one such calendar, the rather disappointing Men of Venice Beach.

   Coordinate term: cheesecake

2. (informal, countable) Such a male, especially as seen as physically desirable.

   Synonyms: lady-killer, hunk, adonis

   • 2014, Stephen King, Mr. Mercedes: A Novel, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:

     The audience goes bugshit. The security beefcakes separate them and the host gets between them, talking in a voice that is soothing on top, inciteful beneath.

3. (literally) A patty made of beef.
   • 1998, Jessie Tirsch, McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook, Pelican, page 145:

     Beefcake with Burgundy Mushroom Cream

Derived terms

• beefcakey

 

Related terms

• beefy

Translations

imagery of muscular men

• Hebrew: לירד (he) m (Leerd)
• Russian: бифкейк m (bifkejk)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: kas yumağı (muscle-skein)

a very muscular person — see also hunk

• German: Muskelprotz (de) m (pejorative)
• Swedish: biff (sv) c

Further reading

• beefcake on Wikipedia.Wikipedia