to beat up

Beat \Beat\ (b[=e]t), v. t. [imp. {Beat}; p. p. {Beat},
   {Beaten}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Beating}.] [OE. beaten, beten, AS.
   be['a]tan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b[=o]zan. Cf. 1st
   {Butt}, {Button}.]
   1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to
      beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat
      grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and
      sugar; to beat a drum.
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            Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small.
                                                  --Ex. xxx. 36.
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            They did beat the gold into thin plates. --Ex.
                                                  xxxix. 3.
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   2. To punish by blows; to thrash.
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   3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the
      noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of
      rousing game.
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            To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey.
                                                  --Prior.
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   4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind.
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            A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms.
                                                  --Milton.
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   5. To tread, as a path.
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            Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way.
                                                  --Blackmore.
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   6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game,
      etc.; to vanquish, defeat, or conquer; to surpass or be
      superior to.
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            He beat them in a bloody battle.      --Prescott.
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            For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. --M.
                                                  Arnold.
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   7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with
      out. [Colloq.]
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   8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.
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            Why should any one . . . beat his head about the
            Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic?
                                                  --Locke.
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   9. (Mil.) To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound
      by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley,
      a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo.
      See {Alarm}, {Charge}, {Parley}, etc.
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   10. to baffle or stump; to defy the comprehension of (a
       person); as, it beats me why he would do that.
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   11. to evade, avoid, or escape (blame, taxes, punishment);
       as, to beat the rap (be acquitted); to beat the sales tax
       by buying out of state.
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   {To beat down}, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower
      price; to force down. [Colloq.]

   {To beat into}, to teach or instill, by repetition.

   {To beat off}, to repel or drive back.

   {To beat out}, to extend by hammering.

   {To beat out of} a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give
      it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to
      this day." --South.

   {To beat the dust}. (Man.)
       (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a
           horse.
       (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low.

   {To beat the hoof}, to walk; to go on foot.

   {To beat the wing}, to flutter; to move with fluttering
      agitation.

   {To beat time}, to measure or regulate time in music by the
      motion of the hand or foot.

   {To beat up}, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to
      beat up an enemy's quarters.
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   Syn: To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump;
        baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer;
        defeat; vanquish; overcome.
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