tune up

tune up (third-person singular simple present tunes up, present participle tuning up, simple past and past participle tuned up)

1. (transitive) To make adjustments to (an engine) in order to improve its performance.
2. (intransitive) To make preparations for vigorous exercise; to warm up.
3. (intransitive) To begin to sing or play music.
4. (chiefly US, transitive, idiomatic) To beat up (someone).
   • 2007, Michael Berish, Reflections from the Pit, →ISBN, (Google preview):

     “We finally stopped roustin' him and decided to tune him up instead, every chance we got.”

     “Tune him up?”

     “Yeah, that's an expression for beatin' the living dog shit outta somebody.”

   • 2015, Joe Peters and Bill Fleming, Code Black, →ISBN, p. 264 (Google preview):

     “I mean, I had to tune her up a bit. She bitched a lot and never did any work. Sometimes, you know, you just gotta get their attention, whack 'em a little."

   • 2017, JM Gulvin, The Contract: A John Q Thriller, →ISBN, (Google preview):

     [T]hey couldn't tune him up because the murder had to look like he died in his sleep.

• (improve the performance of an engine): soup up

• tune

• tune-up