tune up
English
Pronunciation
Audio (AU): (file)
Verb
tune up (third-person singular simple present tunes up, present participle tuning up, simple past and past participle tuned up)
- (transitive) To make adjustments (to an engine or bicycle drivetrain) in order to improve its performance.
- (intransitive) To make preparations for vigorous exercise; to warm up.
- (intransitive) To begin to sing or play music.
- (chiefly US, transitive, idiomatic) To beat up (someone).
- 2007, Michael Berish, Reflections from the Pit, →ISBN, (Google preview):
- “We finally stopped roustin' him and decided to tune him up instead, every chance we got.”
- “Tune him up?”
- “Yeah, that's an expression for beatin' the living dog shit outta somebody.”
- 2015, Joe Peters and Bill Fleming, Code Black, →ISBN, p. 264 (Google preview):
- “I mean, I had to tune her up a bit. She bitched a lot and never did any work. Sometimes, you know, you just gotta get their attention, whack 'em a little."
- 2017, JM Gulvin, The Contract: A John Q Thriller, →ISBN, (Google preview):
- [T]hey couldn't tune him up because the murder had to look like he died in his sleep.
- 2007, Michael Berish, Reflections from the Pit, →ISBN, (Google preview):
Synonyms
- (improve the performance of an engine): soup up