pepper up
C1 informal separable transitive
In simple words
To make something more exciting or interesting, like adding pepper to food to give it more flavour.
Literal meaning: To add pepper to something, making it spicier.
Meanings
1 C1 informal
To add flavour, sharpness, or spice to a dish, literally or figuratively.
"She peppered up the soup with some chilli flakes and fresh herbs."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
informal
To make something such as a speech, presentation, or piece of writing more lively and engaging.
"He peppered up his lecture with some surprising statistics and funny anecdotes."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
A relatively rare phrasal verb, mostly used informally. It draws on the metaphor of pepper as something that adds sharpness and bite. More common in written informal contexts than in speech. Often seen in cooking or lifestyle writing.
Commonly used with
speech dish presentation routine meal recipe
Forms
Base
pepper up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
peppers up
he/she/it
Past simple
peppered up
yesterday
Past participle
peppered up
have + pp
-ing form
peppering up
continuous
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Synonyms
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