| 释义 |
▪ I. pep, n. colloq. (orig. U.S.).|pɛp|
[Abbrev. pepper n.]
Vigour, energy, spirit, forcefulness.
1912Collier's 13 Apr. 19/1 ‘Sure, the good old pep,’ interposed Callahan. 1916Daily Colonist (Victoria, B.C.) 19 July 9/4 (Advt.), This newest Overland Four has more power, pep, punch, and speed than any other low priced..car. 1923Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves xv. 187 That seems to be all the poor fish is able to do, dash it. He can chafe all right, but there he stops. He's lost his pep. He's got no dash. 1930R. Macaulay Staying with Relations iv. 56 What a family!.. They don't have any pep. Only little Meg has pep and she won't be let grow up with it. 1930E. Pound XXX Cantos xi. 51 And came back with no pep in him. 1931E. F. Benson Mapp & Lucia ix. 234 A new hanging committee..full of pep and pop and vim. 1972Jrnl. Social Psychol. LXXXVIII. 279 Lively, active, full-of-pep, energetic, peppy, vigorous, activated.
2. attrib. and comb., as pep rally U.S., a meeting to inspire enthusiasm, esp. before a sporting event; pep speech = pep talk. See also pep pill, pep talk.
1945Boulder (Colorado) Daily Camera 24 Nov. 4/2 Speaking at a pep rally..Dr. Allen told his audience..other schools are spending money for players. 1974State (Columbia, S. Carolina) 15 Feb. 3-B/1 University of South Carolina cheerleaders will conduct a pre-game pep rally in Carolina Coliseum Saturday beginning 12:15 as a prelude to the USC-Notre Dame battle. 1977New Yorker 27 June 35/1 Some activity at the college—a pep rally, a football game, a dance.
1946D. Hamson We fell among Greeks vi. 73, I thought of all the ‘pep’ speeches we would have to deliver.
▪ II. pep, v. colloq.
[f. the n.]
(Const. up.) trans. To fill or inspire with energy or vigour, to enliven, invigorate, excite, cheer up. Also (rare) intr., to improve, to find new life. So ˈpepped-up ppl. a.; pepper-ˈup, pepper-ˈupper, someone who or something which enlivens or stimulates; pepping-ˈup vbl. n.
1925H. L. Foster Trop. Tramp with Tourists 56 ‘Just leave them to me,’ said the Social Manager. ‘I'll get them started, and all pepped up, and the rest will be easy.’ 1928Daily Express 30 Nov. 19 University athletics are under⁓going a strenuous process of ‘pepping up’, on strictly scientific lines. 1929J. P. McEvoy Hollywood Girl ii. 28, I was all pepped up about going out there [sc. to Hollywood] until I met you the other night. 1931W. Holtby Poor Caroline vi. 202 Keep it vivid. Pep it up with a bit o' farce. 1936‘P. Quentin’ Puzzle for Fools iv. 24 We all had our daily treatments and mine consisted of a thorough pepping up. 1936Scrutiny V. iii. 270 Our ears are periodically offended by the ghastly and blasphemous harmonic monstrosities perpetrated by the popular peppers-up of Ye Olde Englysshe Folke Musicke. 1937N.Y. Post 29 Jan. 24/3 (Advt.), Pepperupper. 1938in Mencken Amer. Lang. Suppl. (1945) I. 259 A cocktail was therefore what I suppose today would be called a pepper⁓upper. 1945[see hot rod]. 1959Encounter Sept. 13/1 A kind of forced jollity of a pepped-up Government White Paper. 1965Leitner & Lanen Dict. French & Eng. Slang 98/1 Pepper-upper, stimulant. 1967N. Freeling Strike Out 71 You're looking a bit peaked, old chap... Have a drink to pep you up. 1971Daily Tel. 19 Oct. 15/2 These ‘insert’ tiles are the newest idea to pep up a block of solid colour. 1972W. P. McGivern Caprifoil (1973) iii. 62 A chemical intoxication that stemmed from pepped-up endocrines. 1976Time 20 Dec. 40/1 To pep up sluggish sales, American Motors Corp. is offering a $253 rebate to customers who purchase its 1977 compact Pacer. |