to puff up
1
6.4
- phrasal verb
- /pʌf ʌp/
:
exagerar
- All other candidates on both sides are nothing but puffed-up liars who work for corporations.
Examples
-
Romney, too, puffed up his record on jobs as governor of Massachusetts.
Blog text (3) -
As usual, IDers try to puff up their evidence to have the importance it doesn't have.
Blog text (1) -
You guys are you guys are puffing up my ego, so I'm going to appreciate it.
-
Sure, we knew before the election that O. was nothing but a platitude-bot, an empty suit puffed up with hot air.
Blog text (1) -
Puffed up and blustery, Cousin Glenda reminded me of a blowfish, and I soon understood that I didn't really need to be afraid of her.
Fiction book (1997) -
Then she puffed up and painted a brand new collection of "Molly's" and trotted them out to pull the pantyhose over Herman Cain's head.
Blog text (15) -
Once again, we hear the ramblings of a few egocentric journalists as they step onto the lifeboat, taking them to a continuation of their puffed-up careers.
Blog text (1) -
You're a walking anachronism, Captain, a paltry, puffed up notion of a day long past, and an entity whose tickets to oblivion is about to be punched.
-
Certainly, it is to be preferred to the bovine optimism according to which this is the best of all possible worlds and to those various puffed-up versions of rationalism according to which reason can and should triumph over all non-, pre-, and extrarational considerations.
Academic text (2000) -
The coach started to puff up the players' achievements to boost their confidence.
Synonyms
100
3.6
Praise someone with words you do not mean to get their help
68
4.6
Speak about something in a very excited, positive way
65
6.1
To praise or advertise something strongly to make people want it
28
4.1
Make someone feel excited and full of energy
26
5.6
To praise a person or thing too much, often with strong feeling
13
4.1
To say that something is better or more important than it really is
7
7.4
To praise something too much to make people want to buy it
7
7.5
To praise someone or something very much
6
4.1
Say strong good things about someone or something in public
5
4.5
Say very good things about someone or something
4
5.8
Praise something more than it really deserves
4
7.0
Praise a person or thing in a very excited way
4
6.1
Talk in a very excited way to praise someone or something
3
5.6
To make someone feel very excited about something
1
5.6
To talk in an excited way about something you like
1
9.2
Give someone praise to make them feel more confident
1
6.4
To say too many good things about someone who does not deserve them
1
5.8
Say very good things about someone or something with strong feeling
1
9.5
To promote something loudly and with exaggeration to get attention
To give a lot of praise, often more than needed
Antonyms
How Complimentary
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make or become swollen/expanded' follows directly from combining 'puff' (to swell or bulge) with the particle 'up' (indicating increase or raising). This compositional verb + particle pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Puff up comes from the image of blowing air into something so it grows bigger, like puffing a pillow up. When people 'puff someone up' with praise they 'inflate' their importance, so it means to praise someone in an exaggerated way.