bang up
1. verb To hurt someone or damage something as a result of physical contact. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bang" and "up." That accident banged up the passenger side door of my car. I got really banged up in that car accident. The trainer is heading out onto the ice to take a look at Miller, who appears to have gotten banged up on that play in front of the net.
2. verb To deal a blow to the integrity or value of someone or something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "bang" and "up." The incident certainly banged up the company's reputation. It banged my pride up a bit to be rejected like that. That multi-error game really banged up the young player's self-confidence.
3. adjective Very good or outstanding. Used primarily before nouns, especially in the phrase "bang up job." Often hyphenated. Considering his young age and small stature, Billy really did a bang up job building the dog house for his new puppy. I want you to write a really bang-up article for the Sunday paper. Jason actually did a bang up job on that report—it was much more thorough than I expected.
banged up
1. Having minor or superficial injuries. A: "I heard you got into a car accident! Are you all right?" B: "Yeah, just a little banged up. Some bumps and bruises, but nothing too bad, thankfully." The trainer is heading out onto the ice to take a look at Miller, who appears to have gotten banged up on that play in front of the net. Come on, it's a playoff game. Everyone's gonna be banged up by the end of it.
2. Slightly damaged, as from use or wear. Oh, the really banged-up copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird," the one that looks like it's about to fall apart? It's mine. Thanks to that rogue shopping cart, my car door is banged up now. What do I want with a banged-up old film camera? Does it even work?
3. slang In prison. Primarily heard in UK. Did you hear that Rick's an ex-con? He was banged up back in the '70s. If you keep stealing things, you'll find yourself banged up sooner or later. After all the heinous things he's done, I hope that creep is banged up for the rest of his life.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
bang someone up
to beat someone up; to assault someone; to damage someone. The crooks banged him up a little bit. The crash banged up the passengers in the car. She banged herself up badly.
bang something up
to crash or wreck something; to damage something. Don't bang my best skillet up! Who banged up my best skillet?
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
bang up
Damage, injure, as in Banging up the car a second time will make Dad very unhappy, or Mother fell down the stairs and was all banged up. The verb to bang alone had this meaning from the 1500s on, up being added in the late 1800s. In the early 1800s it gave rise to the colloquial adjective bang-up, for excellent or very successful, as in David did a bang-up job baking the birthday cake.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.