big up
English edit
Pronunciation edit
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb edit
big up (third-person singular simple present bigs up, present participle bigging up, simple past and past participle bigged up or (rare) big upped)
- (transitive, informal) To increase one's muscle mass.
- 2007, David Handler, The Bright Silver Star: A Berger and Mitry Mystery:
- She was bigged up—had a weight-lifter's rippling arms.
- (informal) To become big.
- 2012, Caspar Henderson, The Book of Barely Imagined Beings, page 83:
- Relatively simple multicellular forms had already existed for a hundred million years when the Cambrian began: the explosion had a long fuse, and during this earlier fizzling life experimented with various ways to big up.
- (slang, transitive) To proclaim or exaggerate the importance of; to promote.
- I want to big up my bro on the mic.
- They're trying to big themselves up to be more than they are.
- 2007, Apple announces new mobile phone, BBC Online, 9 January 2007
- In a keynote speech, attended by over 2,000 people, Steve Jobs spent the first 10 minutes bigging up the move to Intel chips.
- 2017, Daniel Tammet, Every Word is a Bird We Teach to Sing, →ISBN, page 162:
- Some say of me, "There's Adrian again in the media, bigging himself up.
- 2022 August 24, Stephen Roberts, “Bradshaw's Britain: the Cotswold Line”, in RAIL, number 964, page 61:
- Bradshaw bigs up local trades: "Agricultural produce, good cider and perry (which require a little brandy to qualify them), wool, hops, and prime cattle, - the last being a splendid breed, white-faced, with soft reddish-brown coats. [...]."
Synonyms edit
- (become big): enlarge
- (increase one's muscle mass): build up, bulk up, pump iron, work out
- (exaggerate the importance of): overemphasize, overplay, play up, sell
Noun edit
Synonyms edit
See also edit
Jamaican Creole edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
- (imperative, reflexive) To be thought of as praiseworthy by someone else ; to have someone's respect. (display of affection or praise)
- Me just want to say big up yourself, General.
- I'd just like to say that you have my respect, Sir.
- 2010, Ardenne High Grade 13 (class of 2010), Ardenne High Grade 13 Year book 2010, page 18:
- “Yuh kno seh a bear tings a go gwaan from wi touch six form. Big up wi teacha dem […] ”
- You knew that we were going to get up to a lot of stuff once we entered 13th grade. Teachers, we respect you […]
- good to see you; nice to see you (greeting)
- Big up yuhself!
- Nice to see you (again)!
- praise, commend (praise)
- Big up Miss Lou!
- Let's praise Miss Lou!
Alternative forms edit
Related terms edit
References edit
- big up – jamaicans.com Jamaican Patois dictionary