1. A liquid food prepared from meat, fish, or vegetable stock combined with various other ingredients and often containing solid pieces.
2. A liquid rich in organic compounds and providing favorable conditions for the emergence and growth of life forms: primordial soup.
3. Slang. Something having the appearance or a consistency suggestive of soup, especially:
   1. Dense fog.
   2. Nitroglycerine.
4. A chaotic or unfortunate situation.

soup up Slang.

1. To modify (something) so as to increase its capacity to perform or satisfy, especially to add horsepower or greater speed potential to (an engine or a vehicle).

in the soup Slang.

1. Having difficulties; in trouble.

[Middle English soupe, from Old French, of Germanic origin. Soup up, from SOUP, material injected into a horse to make it run faster (influenced by SUPERCHARGE).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.