bang-up
[ bang-uhp ]
/ ˈbæŋˌʌp /
adjective Informal.
excellent; extraordinary.
Origin of bang-up
First recorded in 1800–10; adj. use of verb phrase
bang up
Words nearby bang-up
Definition for bang up (2 of 2)
Origin of bang
1
1540–50; 1930–35
for def 5; compare Old Norse
banga to beat, hammer, Low German
bangen to strike, beat, German dialect
banken; perhaps orig. imitative
British Dictionary definitions for bang up (1 of 4)
bang up
verb
(tr, adverb) prison slang
to lock up (a prisoner) in his or her cell, esp for the night
British Dictionary definitions for bang up (2 of 4)
bang
1
/ (bæŋ) /
noun
verb
adverb
Word Origin for bang
C16: from Old Norse
bang,
banga hammer; related to Low German
bangen to beat; all of imitative origin
British Dictionary definitions for bang up (3 of 4)
bang
2
/ (bæŋ) /
noun
a fringe or section of hair cut straight across the forehead
verb (tr)
to cut (the hair) in such a style
to dock (the tail of a horse, etc)
Word Origin for bang
C19: probably short for
bangtail short tail
British Dictionary definitions for bang up (4 of 4)
Medical definitions for bang up
Bang
[ băng, bäng ]
Danish veterinarian who discovered Brucella abortus, the agent of brucellosis in cattle and of undulant fever in humans.
Idioms and Phrases with bang up (1 of 2)
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.
Idioms and Phrases with bang up (2 of 2)
bang