to whack up
2
8.3
- phrasal verb
- UK
- They had to whack up the fallen branches after the storm.
Examples
-
The chef decided to whack up the vegetables into bite-sized portions for the salad.
-
Don't whack up the cake too much!
-
At the end of the night, we decided to whack up the bill evenly.
-
He suggested we whack up the profits among all team members.
-
He whacks up the fruit for smoothies.
-
After the storm, the workers had to whack up the fallen tree branches into smaller pieces for disposal.
-
Don't forget to whack up the leftover pizza so everyone can have a slice.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To change a large bill into smaller bills
∞
1.0
To pull something so it breaks into pieces
278
2.1
To break something into many pieces using great force
233
2.9
To badly damage or destroy something
162
2.7
Separate something into smaller pieces
145
2.8
To break suddenly into many small pieces, like glass
125
2.6
To divide something into smaller parts
124
2.7
To rip something into small pieces
97
1.1
Make something into smaller pieces using scissors or a knife
66
1.9
To cut something into smaller pieces by sharp blows again and again with a knife or axe
52
5.8
To break something into pieces by hitting it hard
48
2.8
To tear something into small pieces
46
3.0
To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group
44
7.6
Damage something badly, often by hitting or dropping it
43
3.9
To damage something badly, often by biting or tearing
27
4.7
To damage something very badly so it breaks into pieces
23
5.8
To divide something into parts to share between people
20
3.9
To break into many small, sharp pieces like wood or glass
18
3.7
To break into small pieces or make something break apart
18
3.5
To break a piece from something with a quick, sharp movement
14
6.1
To badly cut, tear, or crush and cause a serious physical injury
9
5.4
Break something into many small parts or hurt someone very badly
8
3.2
Break a small piece from something by hitting or pressing it
6
9.0
To divide something into parts, often breaking a company or country
3
3.2
To break something into smaller parts
3
9.1
To break something into pieces
1
9.9
To cut or separate something into parts, often by breaking it
1
8.2
To break something into many small pieces
To tear something into separate parts, usually by force
Make something stop working by hitting or dropping it
Antonyms
How Damaged
Surface Forms
Morphology
whack + up
The sense is partially predictable: 'whack' (to hit/strike) plus the particle 'up' commonly conveys a sense of completion or breaking into pieces (cf. 'cut up', 'chop up'), so a learner could plausibly infer 'break into pieces' or 'cut into portions'. However, because 'whack' primarily denotes striking rather than cutting and the phrase is informal/colloquial with a range of related senses, the precise meaning is not fully derivable without prior exposure.
Etymology
Whack up comes from the strong image of whack, meaning to hit or cut, and up, meaning into pieces. So, whack up means 'to break or cut something into pieces' or 'to divide it into portions'.