whip up
Definition
Verb: 1. To prepare or cook something quickly or hastily: This meaning refers to the act of making food or a meal in a short amount of time, often with urgency or without elaborate preparation. 2. To arouse or excite (a feeling or reaction): This meaning refers to the act of deliberately stimulating or inciting a strong emotion, enthusiasm, or response in people.
Usage and Examples
- Verb (Prepare/Cook):
- I can whip up a simple pasta dish in about fifteen minutes.
- She whipped up some pancakes for the unexpected guests.
- Verb (Arouse/Excite):
- The politician's speech was designed to whip up public support for the new policy.
- The rumors whipped up a frenzy of anxiety among the investors.
Advanced Usage
- The phrase often implies a degree of skill or ease in creating something quickly from available components, whether it's a physical item or an abstract feeling.
- It can be used in a neutral, positive, or negative context depending on what is being "whipped up" (e.g., a delicious meal vs. fear or hatred).
Variants and Related Words
- Whip (verb): The base verb meaning to beat vigorously (e.g., to whip cream) or to move quickly. "Whip up" is a phrasal verb derived from this.
- Conjure up: A related phrasal verb meaning to create or summon something as if by magic, often an image or memory. It shares the sense of creation but lacks the specific connotations of speed ("whip up") or cooking.
Synonyms
- For "prepare/cook": rustle up, knock together, throw together, prepare hastily.
- For "arouse/excite": stir up, incite, galvanize, generate, provoke, fuel.
Phrasal Verbs
- Whip up is itself a phrasal verb. Its meaning changes based on the object that follows it (e.g., whip up vs. whip up ).
Related Idioms
- While "whip up" itself is a phrasal verb, it is commonly used in idiomatic expressions like "whip up enthusiasm" or "whip up a storm" (meaning to cause a lot of excitement or trouble).
Verb
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prepare or cook quickly or hastily
