bang-up job
- noun
- Informal
- You guys are doing a bang-up job!
- bang-up job so far
So like, I don't know that I've ever done a bang up job.
- So like, I don't know that I've ever done a bang up job.
- This time around, however, they did quite frankly a pretty bang up job.
- We could collect to our hearts content and we could really do a bang up job.
Examples
-
And Amazon is doing a bang-up job on this in the US.
Blog text (30) -
In fact, you really do a bang-up job, and it shows in so many ways...
Blog text (25) -
Well, the first agent you sent did a real bang-up job.
-
That was a bang-up job.
-
"I heard you did a bang-up job yesterday with the media.
Fiction book (1995) -
Well, you did a bang-up job.
Fiction book (1990) -
Your generation has done a bang-up job!
Blog text (27) -
You're doing a bang-up job here, Dominic.
-
You're doing a bang-up job, kiddo.
-
You guys are doing a bang-up job!
Synonyms
To praise someone for doing a task well
Very good work that impresses people
Very good work that impresses other people
A very successful event or product that people praise
Antonyms
A poor quality building or repair that fails soon because people are careless
How Good
- Informal
- Informal
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'bang-up' (exceptionally good) modifies 'job' (task/work), yielding 'an exceptionally good piece of work.' This adjective + noun combination is a straightforward, cross-linguistically common pattern (though colloquial), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words can derive the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase bang-up job may come from the picture of a loud bang with up to make it stronger, like finishing a task with a big, impressive noise. That's why it means 'excellent'.