soup

/su:p/

Thân thiện

We are in the soup with this unexpected delay.

Definition

1. Noun:

   • A liquid food: A liquid dish, typically made by boiling meat, fish, or vegetables in stock or water, often containing pieces of solid food.
   • An unfortunate situation: (Informal) A state of difficulty, trouble, or confusion.
   • A substance or mixture with a thick, liquid consistency: Any composition resembling liquid food in texture or appearance.

2. Verb:

   • To increase power or performance: (Informal, often "soup up") To modify something, especially an engine or vehicle, to increase its power, speed, or performance.
   • To dope a racehorse: (Informal, specialized) To administer a substance, such as a drug, to a racehorse.

Examples

• Noun (Liquid Food):
  • I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup for lunch.
  • She makes a delicious vegetable soup.
• Noun (Unfortunate Situation):
  • If we lose this contract, we'll really be in the soup.
  • His careless mistake got the whole team in the soup.
• Verb (Increase Performance):
  • He spent the weekend souping up his old car.
  • The mechanic souped up the engine for better acceleration.

Advanced Usage

• "In the soup": In trouble or in a difficult situation.
  • Missing that deadline put the entire project in the soup.
• "Soup to nuts": (Informal) Covering everything from beginning to end; comprehensive.
  • The training covered everything from soup to nuts.
• "Soup kitchen": A place where free food, especially soup, is served to people in need.
  • He volunteers at a local soup kitchen every Sunday.

Variants and Related Words

• Soupy (adj): Having the consistency or appearance of soup; often used to describe thick fog or overly sentimental emotion.
  • The weather was cold with a soupy fog.
• Soupçon (n): A very small quantity; a trace or hint (borrowed from French).
  • Add just a soupçon of garlic to the sauce.

Synonyms

• Broth, stew (for liquid food).
• Jam, pickle, hot water (for an unfortunate situation).
• Modify, enhance, boost (for the verb meaning to increase performance).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Soup up: To modify something to make it more powerful or exciting.
  • They souped up the sound system for the concert.

Related Idioms

• "From soup to nuts": From start to finish; including everything.
  • The report details the process from soup to nuts.
• "In the soup": In trouble or in a difficult predicament.
  • Forgot your passport? Now you're really in the soup!

Học thuật

Noun

1. an unfortunate situation
   • we're in the soup now
2. any composition having a consistency suggestive of soup
3. liquid food especially of meat or fish or vegetable stock often containing pieces of solid food

Verb

1. dope (a racehorse)