hack up
To cut something into rough pieces, or to cough a lot in a difficult, unpleasant way.
Meanings
To cut something into rough, uneven pieces.
"She hacked up the fallen tree and stacked the wood by the shed."
To cough repeatedly and with effort, often producing mucus.
"He was hacking up all night with that terrible chest infection."
To damage or ruin something (a text, plan, or creative work) by making too many rough edits or changes.
"The director completely hacked up the original screenplay."
The cutting sense is used for both physical objects and figurative destruction (e.g. hacking up a piece of writing). The coughing sense is colloquial and used to describe persistent, loud, or painful coughing. Both senses appear in British and North American English.
Commonly used with
Forms
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