zhoosh
To tweak, finesse or improveTo tweak, finesse or improve (something); to make more appealing or exciting. Usually with up.
Meaning
2 senses(Australia, UK, slang, transitive)To tweak, finesse or improve (something); to make more appealing or exciting. Usually with up.
(informal, transitive)To blend ingredients together using an electric food mixer.
Throw it all in a blender and zhoosh it until it's creamy smooth.
Origin
UK 1960s. Unclear origin; one explanation is that it was borrowed from Angloromani yuser (UK 1960s. Unclear origin; one explanation is that it was borrowed from Angloromani yuser (“clean”, verb) and yusher (“clear”, verb), from Angloromani yus-, yuz-, yuzh- (“clean”) and yush- (“clear”), from Romani žuž-, už- (“clean”, adjective) (also compare Hindi उज्ज्वल (ujjval, “bright”)), but this has been seen as problematic. Another theory is that the term is instead an "expressive formation" similar to whoosh and swish. The South African sense reportedly comes from a regional pronunciation of "Jewish", alluding to the high reputation of Jewish tailors at the time, but this has also been considered unlikely. All senses originated around the same time, with the first attributed use of the noun in 1968 and the verb in 1970.
Onomatopoeic, from the sound of a blender.
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Forms
zhooshes, zhooshing, zhooshed, zhooshedSynonyms
4 synonymsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle