bad
mod. powerful; intense. (Black.)Man, that is really bad music!This grass is bad!
bang for the buck
n. value for the money spent; excitement for the money spent; the cost-to-benefit ratio.I didn't get anywhere near the bang for the buck I expected.How much bang for the buck did you really think you would get from a twelve-year-old car—at any price?
Cadillac
n. the name of something powerful or superior. (From the name of the automobile.)This product is the Cadillac of plastic kitchenware.Acme is the Cadillac of monochrome closed-circuit retail surveillance equipment.
carry weight
tr. to have influence.I don't carry much weight around here, but Walter does.Tom carries weight with the mayor. Ask him.
dynamite
1.
mod. excellent; powerful.
I want some more of your dynamite enchiladas, please.These tacos are dynamite, too.
2.
n. anything potentially powerful: a drug, news, a person.
This chick is really dynamite!The story about the scandal was dynamite and kept selling papers for a month.
greased lighting
n. something fast or powerful.That little car is just greased lightning.That kid can run like greased lightning.
heavy artillery
n. powerful or persuasive persons or things.Finally, the mayor brought out the heavy artillery and quieted things down.The heavy artillery seemed to know how to handle matters.
horses
n. horse power, as in an engine.How many horses does this thing have?Isn't 400 horses a lot for just one car?
juice
n. energy; power; political influence.The boss has the juice with the board to make the necessary changes.Dave left the president's staff because he just didn't have the juice anymore to be useful.
(ma)hoska
n. energy; strength; moxie.The guy's got mahoska and guts!She's quick and has lots of mahoska.
put balls on something
tr. to make something more masculine or powerful; to give something authority and strength. (Potentially offensive. Use only with discretion.)Come on, sing louder. Put some balls on it.This story is too namby-pamby. Put some balls on it.
souped up
mod. made more powerful.That souped up car of John's sure makes a lot of noise.Why do all cars driven by males under the age of twenty have to be souped up?
triple whammy
n. a powerful treatment; a powerful shock.The market crash, the trade figures, and the death of the secretary of defense was a powerful triple whammy in Washington politics this week.The tax bill served as a triple whammy to the family purse.