beef

To complain or gripe about someone or something, Of course Marjorie is beefing about how I left dishes out in the kitchen—she's not happy unless everything is perfectly put away.

Chubby or fat, especially in the legs. Usually said of women, it comes from the longer phrase "beef to the heel like a Mullingar heifer," referring to cattle bred in Mullingar, a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. Primarily heard in Ireland. I think I need to go on a diet, I've gotten beef to the heel since my pregnancy. I don't know what's wrong with other men, I like a woman who's a bit beef to heel.

Chubby or fat, especially in the legs. Usually said of women, it refers to cattle bred in Mullingar, a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. Primarily heard in Ireland. I think I need to go on a diet, I've gotten beef to the heel like a Mullingar heifer since my pregnancy. I don't know what's wrong with other men, I like a woman who's beef to heel like a Mullingar heifer.

Chubby or fat, especially in the legs. Usually said of women, it comes from the longer phrase "beef to the heel like a Mullingar heifer," referring to cattle bred in Mullingar, a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. Primarily heard in Ireland. I think I need to go on a diet, I've gotten beef to the hoof like a Mullingar heifer since my pregnancy. I don't know what's wrong with other men, I like a woman who's beef to hoof.

To increase something, often in strength. With all these protestors here, we definitely need to beef up security. My boyfriend has been going to the gym every day for months in hopes of beefing up his frame. We need to beef up our services in order to rival our competitors' more comprehensive offerings.

A man displayed or photographed for having an attractive, muscular physique, or one who has these qualities in general. I always buy the fire station's charity calendar because I love looking at the beefcakes in their firefighter outfits.

A clumsy, cloddish person. Of course he broke the vase—that guy is such a beef-head.

Farts. I can't believe you let beef-hearts loose in the car. Now we have to smell it all the way home!

An allegation that is untrue. Come on, this is a bogus beef—you have no proof that I did something wrong.

An allegation that is untrue. Come on, this is a bum beef—you have no proof that I did something wrong.

To have an outstanding or unsettled dispute or disagreement with someone or something. Why does she have a beef with me? I'm always nice to her! Dad has a real beef with the phone company because they keep raising their rates.

Why is one upset (with someone or something)? What is one's problem (with someone or something)? Wow, what's Cheryl's beef today? She's been really snippy with me all day. I'll tell you what my beef with you is—I'm really annoyed that you would leave all these dishes for me to clean up, instead of just doing them yourself! What's your beef with this project? You've had some issue with it from day one.

What is the problem? "Beef" is slang for conflict, complaint, grudge, feud, etc. He borrowed your sweater and then he returned it. What's the beef?

Sl. to complain about someone or something. Stop beefing about Karen. He is always beefing about his working conditions.

to add strength or substance to something. Let's beef this music up with a little more on the drums. They beefed up the offer with another thousand dollars.

Inf. Where is the substance?; Where is the important content? That's really clever and appealing, but where's the beef? Where's the beef? There's no substance in this proposal.

Strengthen, reinforce, as in Mary wants us to beef up her part in the play. This phrase relies on an older slang sense of beef as "muscles" or "power." [Colloquial; late 1800s]

Where is the substance to this issue? This expression began life as an advertising slogan for Wendy’s, the third-largest American hamburger chain. In a 1984 television commercial, three elderly women are given a small hamburger on a huge bun, a competitor’s product. They admire the bun, but one of them, a retired manicurist named Clara Peller, asks, “Where’s the beef?” The slogan caught on, and Walter Mondale, seeking the Democratic nomination for president, used it to attack his opponents’ stands and policies. The phrase echoes another, much older slang expression, what’s the beef?, meaning what’s the complaint. The use of the noun beef for gripe or complaint dates from the late 1800s. George V. Higgins used it in Deke Hunter (1976), “I agree with you . . . so what’s the beef?”