▪ I. beef, n.
(biːf)
Forms: 3–4 boef, beef, 4 bouf, 5 befe, byffe, beoff, buif, 5–6 beff, 6 beafe, biefe, beffe, 6–7 beefe, 7 (bœufe), bief, beife, 7– beef. Plural: beeves; also 5 beoffes, buefs, beuys, 5–7 beues, beves, 6 beafes, beffes, bevis, beoves, 6–7 beefes, bieves, beeffes, 9 (in U.S.) beefs.
[a. OF. boef (= mod.F. bœuf):—L. bov-em, acc. of bos ox, cogn. with Gr. βοῦς, Skr. go-, Eng. cow.]
1. The flesh of an ox, bull, or cow, used as food. Often preceded by words indicating the exact part of the animal, e.g. sirloin, ribs of beef, etc. sea-beef: beef pickled for use at sea.
| a 1300 K. Alis. 5248 To mete was greithed beef and motoun. c 1350 Will. Palerne 1849 Fair bouf wel sode. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 176 Bet than olde boef is tendre vel. c 1420 Liber Cocorum (1862) 27 Fresshe brothe of the befe. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 28 Byffe, flesche [v.r. beff]. 1533 Elyot Cast. Helthe ii. i. (1541) 16 b, Biefe is better digested than a chykens legge. 1552 Huloet, Beafe, bubula. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. iii. 23 What say you to a peece of Beefe and Mustard? 1607 Dekker Knts. Conjur. (1842) 34 More stale then sea-beefe. 1653 Walton Angler 191 Powdered Bief is a most excellent bait to catch an Eele. 1662 Pepys Diary 29 May, We had cakes, and powdered beef, and ale. 1712 Addison Spect. No. 269 ¶8, I have always a Piece of cold Beef and a Mince-Pye upon the Table. 1818 Cobbett Pol. Reg. V./302 They dine..upon good roast-beef and port. 1876 G. J. Whyte-Melville Katerfelto xx. 228 ‘What can we have for supper?’ ‘Aitch-bone of beef, my lord.’ |
2. transf. a. Applied to other kinds of flesh or food.
| 1661 Lovell Hist. Anim. & Min. 233 Ling..is counted the beefe of the Sea. 1868 B. J. Lossing Hudson 145 The Sturgeon..are sold in such quantities in Albany, that they have been called, in derision, ‘Albany beef.’ |
b. mod. colloq. = ‘Flesh’ (of men). Also, strength, muscular power; effort.
Cf. beef v. 2,
beefy.
| 1851 Melville Moby Dick II. xxxix. 261 Oh, do pile on the beef... Oh! my lads, do spring. 1862 Cork Examiner 28 Mar., Chelmsford stood higher in the leg, and showed less beef about him. 1863 Cornh. Mag., Feb. Life Man of War, Useful at the heavy hauling of braces, etc.—Where plenty of ‘beef’ is required. 1968 R. M. Patterson Finlay's River 25 We on the other hand, were paddling our canoe and putting all the beef we could behind it. |
c. Slang
phr. beef to the heel(s): of a person: massive, bulky, brawny.
| 1867 R. Broughton Cometh up as Flower I. xviii. 294 Dolly was not a fine person, as they say, at all; not beef to the heels, by any means. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 65 We did great biz yesterday. Fair day and all the beef to the heels were in. Ibid. 366 Transparent stockings, stretched to breaking point. Not like..the one in Grafton street. White. Wow! Beef to the heel. 1958 A. Wall Queen's English xxxi. 110 ‘Beef’ and ‘beefy’ are not complimentary terms, and ‘beef to the heels’ is even less so. |
3. An ox; any animal of the ox kind;
esp. a fattened beast, or its carcase.
a. Usually in
pl. arch. or
techn.| c 1320 Seuyn Sag. (W.) 1095 Hit mote bothe drink and ete..Beues flesch, and drink the brotht. 1475 Bk. Noblesse 68 Grete providence of vitaille of cornys, of larde, and beoffes. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 107 Grete oxen and buefs slayn. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. cccxciii. 675 Mo than xx. thousande beastes, swyne, beufes, kene, and moutons. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. i. iii. 168 As flesh of Muttons, Beefes, or Goates. 1611 Bible Lev. xxii. 21 A free will offring in beeues or sheepe. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. (1681) 170 Our Beves yield much Butter, Cheese..and Meat. a 1674 Clarendon Hist. Reb. II. vii. 323 One half in Money, and the other half in good Beefs. 1780 T. Jefferson Corr. Wks. 1859 I. 252 To collect beeves in our southern counties. 1861 May Const. Hist. (1863) I. iv. 192 The supply of beeves and grain for his household. 1884 in Glasgow Her. 5 Jan. 5/2 All the beefs that are ready for shipping. |
b. Also in
sing. (Now chiefly
U.S.)
| 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. 26 Whereas they pay a certeine price for a fat beefe. 1601 Holland Pliny II. 420 If either a bœufe or mutton be rubbed with salt. 1609 Bible (Douay) Deut. xiv. 5 The pygargue, the wilde beefe, the cameloparde. 1668 Wilkins Real Char. ii. v. §5. 164 Either to a Beef, or a Sheep, or a Wolf. 1758 in Essex Inst. Hist. Coll. (1881) XVIII. 93 Six men..put under Guard on suspicion of killing a young Beef and 2 Calves. 1775 Johnson West. Isl. Wks. X. 456 When a beef was killed for the house. 1844 Mrs. Houston Yacht Voy. Texas II. 180 The cook went on shore and ‘shot a beef.’ 1878 Southern Hist. Soc. Papers VI. 212 Behind these came a beef, driven by soldiers... The beef was immediately shot at and butchered. 1904 J. H. Claiborne Seventy-five Yrs. Old Virginia 289 A beef..was driven up and shot. |
| fig. 1596 Shakes. 1 Hen. IV, iii. iii. 199 O, my sweet Beefe I must still be good Angell to thee. |
c. collect. Cattle.
U.S.| c 1706 Voy. Maryland in Amer. Hist. Rev. (1907) XII. 329 They have fatt Beefe and fatt Porke Comes home to their Doores without giving 'em any Corne. 1840 J. Buel Farmer's Compan. (ed. 2) 318/2 The fattening of beef. 1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights ii. 30 We was just gettin' back from drivin' some beef up to the troops. |
4. A protest, (ground for) complaint, grievance.
slang (
orig. U.S.).
Cf. beef v. 4.
| 1899 Ade Fables in Slang (1900) 80 He made a Horrible Beef because he couldn't get Loaf Sugar for his Coffee. 1931 D. Runyon Guys & Dolls (1932) iv. 79 To round himself up with his ever-loving wife in case of a beef from her over keeping the baby out in the night air. 1945 Daily Express 22 May 2/6 The beef is, Why should every battle we fight have to be a ‘Battle of Britain’? 1946 Wodehouse Money in Bank xii. 95 What's your beef about taking ninety per? 1949 [see beefcake below]. |
5. attrib. and in
comb., as
beef animal,
beef-boat,
beef-bone,
beef-cattle,
beef-collops,
beef-fat,
beef-flick,
beef-house,
beef-market,
beef-merchant,
beef-net,
beef-pot,
beef-shop,
beef-steer,
beef-suet;
beef-boiler,
beef-eating,
beef-grower,
beef-making,
beef-roaster;
beef-faced adj.| 1838 H. Colman Rep. Agric. Mass. 73 They agree to pay 32 cents. for the offal of every *beef animal there slaughtered. |
| 1837 Marryat Dog-Fiend xii, He jumped into the *beef boat to go on board of the cutter. |
| 1611 Cotgr., Archimarmitonerastique..or Arch-frequenter of the Cloyster beefe-pot, or *beefe-boyler. |
| 1758 J. S. Le Dran's Observ. Surg. (1771) 279 It seemed to be the Scale of a *Beef-Bone. 1820 Scott Abbot xix, Such bare beef-bones, such a shouldering at the buttery-hatch. |
| 1758 T. Walker Let. 14 Aug. in Amer. Antiq. Soc. Proc. (1932) XLI. 130 Five Hundred *Beef Cattle are to set off tomorrow. 1899 Scribner's Mag. XXV. 116/2 We passed a herd of fine beef cattle on their way to Santiago. |
| 1815 Scott Guy M. xliv, A plate of *beef-collops. |
| 1838 Dickens O. Twist. (1850) 68/1, I know a friend who has a *beef-faced boy. |
| 1836 Todd Cycl. Anat. & Phys. II. 233/1 The elain of *beef fat is colourless. |
| 1462 Test. Ebor. (1855) II. 261 Iiij. bakon-fliks, ij. *beffe-fliks. |
| 1880 Victorian Rev. 2 Feb. 670 For the American *beef-grower to fatten their beef cattle. |
| 1807 J. Beresford Miseries II. xix. 211 Taking your dinner from an a-la-mode *beef-house. |
| 1881 Gentl. Mag. Jan. 67 They [wild cattle] are..illbred, and averse to *beef-making. |
| 1480 Robt. Devyll 38 Robert toke a quycke catte..And threwe her quycke into the *beefe potte. 1703 Art's Improv. I. 14 As big as an ordinary Beef-Pot. |
| 1880 Victorian Rev. 2 Feb. 665 The production of cheap *beef steers. |
| 1853 Q. Rev. Mar. 397 An equal quantity of melted *beef-suet. |
6. Special comb.:
† beef-brained ppl. a., thick-headed, stupid;
† beef-brewis,
-broth, broth made from beef;
beefburger (
ˈbiːfbɜːgə(r)) [
burger], a hamburger, (
orig. U.S.);
beefcake (
ˈbiːfkeɪk) (
slang,
orig. U.S.) [humorous, after cheesecake], (a display of) sturdy masculine physique;
beef chit Naut. slang, a menu;
beef-dairy a., applied to a cross between beef and dairy cattle;
beef essence (see
quot. 1890);
beef-extract, an extract of the soluble fibrin of beef;
beef-fed a., fed on beef;
esp. as an epithet for a typical Englishman;
beef-ham, beef cured in the same fashion as a ham, by salting, smoking, etc.;
beef-head, a thick-head, a block-head;
beef-headed a.,
= beef-brained;
beef-measles, a parasitic disease, which sometimes attacks cattle;
beef stroganof(f) (see
stroganoff);
beef-tapeworm,
Tænia mediocancellata;
beef-tea, the juice of beef extracted by prolonged simmering in a very little water, used as a nutritious food for invalids;
beef trip Naval slang, (
a) a routine trip in the ship's boat assigned to bring the meat ration from the shore; (
b) an escort of food ships in convoy in the 1914–18 war;
beef-witted a. (
= beef-brained); hence
beef-wittedness. See also
beefeater,
beef-steak,
beef-wood.
| 1627 Feltham Resolves i. x. (1647) 28 A *beefe-brain'd fellow that hath only impudence enough to shew himself a foole. |
| 1820 Scott Abbot xiv, The monks..are merriest..when they sup *beef-brewis for lenten-kail. |
| 1703 Art's Improv. I. 26 Supply it with the Fat of Powder'd *Beef-broth. |
| 1940 in Amer. Speech XV. 452/1 Hamburgers are out, *beefburgers are in! 1959 Observer 8 Nov. 3/5 We can expect the kind of hamburger proliferation that exists in America, with beefburgers, eggburgers, [etc.]. |
| 1949 in Amer. Speech (1954) XXIX. 282 Alan Ladd has a beef—about ‘*beefcake’, the new Hollywood trend toward exposing the male chest. 1954 Sunday Pictorial 18 Apr. 15/1, I learned that beefcake was bunk because one of my jobs in the circus was lacing the strongman's shoes. 1963 Guardian 29 June 5/4 The other poster..shows Albert Finney in a beefcake pose with his shirt slit to the navel. |
| 1911 ‘Guns’ et al. Middle Watch Musings 54 The Commander (having failed to arouse the Wardroom Waiters from their lethargy; sitting for five minutes without being offered the *beef chit). 1962 John o'London's 14 June 571/1 The beef chit, or [wardroom] menu. |
| 1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 16 Feb. 15/1 *Beef-dairy crosses include crosses between beef breeds and Friesians or Dairy Shorthorns. |
| 1853 Dunglison Dict. Med. Sci. (ed. 9) 130/1 *Beef essence. 1890 Billings Med. Dict., Beef essence, cooked juice of beef, prepared by introducing lean beef in small pieces into a bottle, and subjecting it to heat of a boiling water-bath for an hour. |
| 1890 W. James Princ. Psychol. II. xxiii. 380 The stimulating effects of tobacco, smoke, alcohol, *beef-extract (which is innutritious), etc. etc., may be partly due to a dynamogenic action of this sort |
| 1903 Kipling Five Nations 78 And *beef-fed zealots threaten in To Buddha and Kamakura. 1903 A. McNeill Egreg. English viii. 79 A beef-fed army and a beef-fed navy are what Englishmen believe they get for their money. 1934 E. H. W. Meyerstein Let. 3 Apr. (1959) 159 Of course you (i.e. beef-fed materialistic Englishman (woman)) can argue. |
| 1815 Scott Guy M. xxiv, A huge piece of cold *beef-ham. |
| 1775 Ld. Cavendish in Burke's Corr. (1844) II. 86 The petition..should be framed so as to..draw off some of the *beef-heads who are disposed against it. |
| 1828 Mrs. Royall Black Book II. 114 Such a great *beef-headed fellow as you editor of a paper. 1900 E. Terry Let. 28 Jan. (1931) 372 The war—and the disgrace of it (beef-headed Buller's doings). |
| 1884 Health Exhib. Catal. 20/1 Drawings of..*Beef Measles and the *Beef-tapeworm. |
| 1783 Med. Commun. I. 140 She was ordered *beef-tea. 1861 F. Nightingale Nursing 52 A small quantity of beef tea added to other articles of food makes them more nourishing. 1870 Lowell Study Wind. 91 He gives us the very beef-tea of history, nourishing and even palatable enough. |
| 1919 ‘Taffrail’ H.M.S. Anonymous vii. §2. 139 We called it the ‘*Beef trip’ because in some remote fashion it reminded us of our midshipman days, when, in charge of the ‘blood boat’ we left our ships..to bring off from the shore the fresh meat which would..be served out to the ship's company. Ibid. 142 In spite of all precautions on our part the German flotillas from Zeebrugge..might altogether have put a stop to the ‘beef trip’ carried on under their very noses. Ibid. §3. 152 The ‘beef trip’ was over. Yet another consignment of margarine and Dutch cheeses had been brought into the United Kingdom. 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words 21 On the beef trip, a Navy term in the War, used of the vessels carrying meat to the Grand Fleet at Scapa. |
| 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. ii. i. 14 Thou mungrel *beefe-witted Lord. |
| 1863 Reader 22 Aug., This British bull-neckedness, this British *beef-wittedness. |
▸
U.S. slang. A criminal charge or conviction; (also) a prison sentence.
| 1928 Amer. Mercury May 81 I'm ditched for fifteen flat—an' on a bum beef! 1967 M. Braly On Yard 9 You've already beat this yard long enough to wear out two murder beefs and a bag of robberies. 1990 J. Welch Indian Lawyer 13 A forty-year beef reduced to thirty by Sentence Review. 2006S. Turow in N.Y. Times Mag. 4 June 35/1 He has a required court appearance on a pending case to be sure he hasn't skipped bail. ‘What kind of beef?’ Murph asks. |
▸
beef tomato n. Brit. a tomato of a large, firm, irregularly shaped variety;
cf. beefsteak tomato n. at
beef-steak n. Additions.
| 1981 Times 6 June 2/5 Dutch growers have been quicker to start producing *beef tomatoes—large, irregular shaped fleshy fruits derived from the French variety Marmande. 1995 R. Gray & R. Rogers River Cafe Cook Bk. (1996) 131/2 Costuluto Fiorentina is a large salad tomato, and ripens to a reddish green colour. Beef tomatoes are a poor substitute. |
▸
beef Wellington n. (also
Beef Wellington)
Cookery a dish of fillet of beef (often coated with pâté) wrapped in puff pastry;
cf. Wellington n.2| [1939 D. Ashley Where to dine in Thirty-nine 53 Tenderloin of Beef Wellington... Larded tenderloin of beef. Roast very rare. Allow to cool and roll into pie crust... Slice in portions and serve with sauce Madire.] 1948 R. Dana Where to eat in N.Y. 217 For an entree let taste be your guide, because everything is excellent, from the *beef Wellington, the famous preparation with foie gras and truffles and seasoning of origanum, to the many chicken and sea-food specialties. 1994 D. Porter Frommer's Comprehensive Trav. Guide Portugal '94–'95 v. 96 The à la carte items are available at lunch and dinner and feature..lamb chops with mint sauce,..and beef Wellington. |
▪ II. beef, v. [f. prec.] 1. trans. To apply raw beef to (a bruise).
| 1870 T. Simmons Oakdale Gr. 124 [It] will show up in blue and yellow relief..unless they beef it. |
2. a. To put more muscle into, to drive harder.
U.S. (College slang.)
| 1860 Yale Lit. Mag. XXVI. 83 (Th.), The first boat in is the winner of the race, so round they turn, and ‘beef her’ for the home stretch. |
b. slang. To strengthen; to add vigour, power, or importance to. Const.
up (
occas. out). Hence
beefed-up (or -out),
ppl. a.
Cf. beef n. 2 b.
| 1941 A. O. Pollard Bombers over Reich xi. 155 When the Fortresses reach Britain from the United States certain alterations are made; the larger guns are..‘beefed up’ so as to give them a rate of fire of 900 rounds a minute. 1944 Time 24 Jan. 22/3 The Eighth [Air Force] proved that it had beefed up its reserves. 1958 Observer 2 Feb. 1/2 This main stage—the ‘beefed-up’ Redstone—uses a secret formula ‘exotic’ fuel. 1960 Times 21 Jan. 13/6 Economic planners..may be tempted to beef-up a project to make it ambitious enough to qualify for large-scale aid. 1963 Language XXXIX. 242 A new generation was fed the nonsense of Marr, only partially beefed out with surreptitious teachings. 1966 New Scientist 10 Mar. 618/1 The Defense Department has spent {pstlg}50 billion building and beefing up the non-nuclear elements of the armed forces. |
3. To slaughter (an ox, etc.) for beef. Also
transf., to knock down.
U.S. slang.| 1869 Harper's Mag. Jan. 159/1 They [sc. the buffalo] were to be beefed and sent East or put into cattle-cars, and killed after they had arrived in the Eastern cities. 1916 B. M. Bower Phantom Herd xvi. 268, I calc'late I'd better beef another critter. 1926 J. Black You can't Win xiii. 185 When one of them got peeved..some hard-fisted miner beefed him like an ox. 1934 A. Hyder Black-Girl, White-Lady xxi. 309 ‘Yo'kills niggers?’ ‘Like flies,’ Charley assured her. ‘You want me to beef a few for you?’ |
4. intr. To complain, grumble, protest.
slang (
orig. U.S.). Hence
ˈbeefing vbl. n.| 1888 N.Y. World 13 May (Farmer), He'll beef an' kick like a steer an' let on he won't never wear 'em. 1889 The Road (Denver) 28 Dec. 4/3 He will be coming down town again soon on crutches, ‘beefing’ about cancer of the stomach. 1922 S. Lewis Babbitt v. 60 Course I wouldn't beef about it to the fellows at the Roughnecks' Table there. 1930 Wodehouse Very Good, Jeeves! iii. 74 You have beefed about Miss Wickham. 1931 E. Linklater Juan in America ii. xvii. 182 ‘So I'm a slave, am I? Like hell I am!’ ‘Stop beefing,’ said Spider. 1939 J. B. Priestley Let People Sing viii. 210 Too much arguin' an' beefin', majority an' minority nonsense, talkin' shop stuff. 1957 H. Croome Forgotten Plan xi. 138 Stop beefing, Frank. You'll be seeing her again soon enough. |