spice up

spice up

1. To add some ingredient to food or drink in order to make it spicier. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "spice" and "up." Some red chilis would really help spice up this pasta. I like to spice my eggs up with hot sauce.
2. To make something more interesting, exciting, tantalizing, or sexy. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "spice" and "up." Please refrain from spicing up your reports with such colorful language—stick to the facts, if you don't mind. Why don't we spice the trip up a little with some skydiving? When you've been married for this long, you start having to find creative ways to spice up your sex life.
See also: spice, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

spice something up

 
1. Lit. to make some food or drink more spicy. Judy spiced the cider up by adding cinnamon and nutmeg. she spiced up the chili too much.
2. Fig. to make something more interesting, lively, or sexy. I'm afraid that the nude scenes spiced the musical up too much. some people walked out. Judy liked to spice her lectures up by telling jokes. she spiced up each lecture with a joke. They spiced up the play too much.
See also: spice, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

spice up

v.
1. To make something spicy or spicier: The cook spiced up the chili with some peppers. I added some pepper to the sauce in order to spice it up.
2. To make something exciting or more exciting: We spiced up the party by playing some games. That necklace really spices your outfit up.
See also: spice, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • angle
  • angling
  • orient
  • orient to
  • orient to (something)
  • not do (someone or oneself) any favors
  • spiff up
  • spiffed up
  • fill in
  • fill out
References in periodicals archive
Timed sections spice up gameplay and as you can save progress pretty much whenever (except when the timer is running), the frustration of sneak-em-ups is kept to a minimum.
Shiraz: Game ZONE
"The first day sales for their new album was only 55,000,while in America Spice Up Your Life is only at No 27 in the charts," he said.
SPITE GIRLS!; How the Fab Five plotted to get rid of the man who made them
Either way, it can spice up a defense that has been taking a constant pounding week after week by people with superior talent.
You may place them in your playbook to spice up your defensive package and give you a new dimension with which to pressure the football.
Gaming from the Danger Defense!
Their happiness could be the work of Australian fitness guru Simone Ayesa who is said to have designed a racy workout regime designed to help spice up their sex life.
Chelsea Clinton, hubby Marc Mezvinsky spotted in happier mood
WITH the domestic football season creeping ever closer there must be loads of parks and pub teams looking for a new way to spice up training.
Skilled to bits