to whip up a storm
1
6.8
- idiom
- Informal
- Whenever unexpected guests arrive, she can whip up a storm and have dinner ready in no time.
Examples
-
She can whip up a storm in the kitchen!
-
The politician managed to whip up a storm with his controversial comments at the rally.
-
He likes to whip up a storm at parties by starting lively debates.
-
I saw him whipping up a storm for the party.
-
Whenever unexpected guests arrive, she can whip up a storm and have dinner ready in no time.
-
He likes to whip up a storm at parties by starting lively debates.
-
The politician managed to whip up a storm with his controversial comments at the rally.
Synonyms
126
4.8
To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear
124
4.1
Make people feel excited and ready to act
80
3.4
To become more intense or make a situation more intense
30
4.2
Make a situation more urgent to force someone to act
19
4.0
Make people feel excited or upset and attract attention
13
8.0
To cause trouble by saying things to make people argue
11
7.2
To make an argument or feeling worse by encouraging it
2
4.6
To make a large amount of food for many people with great energy
2
6.4
To make feelings like anger or excitement stronger
2
7.7
To become more active or exciting in a situation
1
7.0
To cause many people to show strong public anger or criticism
1
6.0
To make someone feel strong excitement or deep emotion
1
5.6
To cause a lot of public interest and excitement
1
7.1
To cause a lot of excitement and strong reactions
How Exciting
- Informal
1
6.8
126
4.8
19
4.0
2
3.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The component 'whip up' is a productive phrasal verb meaning to create or prepare quickly, and 'storm' can be understood metaphorically as a violent disturbance or commotion. A B1 learner who knows the constituents can likely infer the general senses (quickly prepare something or cause a commotion), but the specific idiomatic nuance and metaphorical extension (especially the non-literal ‘‘cause a strong reaction’’ sense) are not entirely predictable without exposure.
Etymology
The phrase whip up a storm may come from a simple image: someone using a whip or kitchen whisk so fast that it makes a little storm of movement and noise. That's why it now means 'to prepare something quickly' or 'to cause excitement or a big reaction'.