[Ads-l] "beat-up", noun, evidently meaning hoax or conspiracy

[James Eric Lawson]

For what it's worth, the definition of 'beat-up' (noun) in *Macquarie
Dictionary* is much narrower than that given in the UPI article: "a
media story of small significance which is given spurious importance by
an expanded, often sensational treatment."

(Subscription needed:
https://www.macquariedictionary.com.au/features/word/search/?search_word_type=Dictionary&word=beat-up)

The corresponding verb, 'beat up', sense 60c of 'beat', is defined as
"*Journalism* to exaggerate (a story)."

Not found in *The Australian National Dictionary: A Dictionary of
Australianisms on Historical Principles*, 1988:

https://australiannationaldictionary.com.au/oupnewindex1.php

On 8/7/21 12:27 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> As GAT suggested, it is tricky trying to find matches with the
> appropriate sense. I think the matches below from Australian
> newspapers display the pertinent sense of "beat up". (Please
> double-check meta-data and text for typos, OCR problems, etc.)
> 
> Date: September 3, 1964
> Newspaper: The Sydney Morning Herald
> Newspaper Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Article: Hospital Site To Be Involved (Continued from page 1)
> Quote Page 4, Column 6
> Database: Newspapers.com
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> "I want to indicate to the honourable member the story as I read it
> this morning bears all the earmarks of a beat-up story.
> "There is no contemplated plan by the Government for reconstruction of
> the present Parliament House"
> [End excerpt]
> 
> The match below is odd because the Australian reporter seems to be
> claiming that the New York mayor Abraham Beame employed an Australian
> slang expression.
> 
> Date: July 17, 1977
> Newspaper: The Sun-Herald
> Newspaper Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Article: New York blackout (continued from page 9)
> Author: Jack Plummer
> Quote Page 44, Column ??
> Database: Newspapers.com
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> When the lights went out everyone including Mayor Beame was saying how
> great the people were.
> Beame was angry about "Those beat-up" stories of looting. "Only a few,
> just a few," he was still saying at midnight.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Date: February 3, 1980
> Newspaper: The Sun-Herald
> Newspaper Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Article: TV: The Angry eye: Which way will Willesee work?
> Quote Page 49, Column 2
> Database: Newspapers.com
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> It will be of great interest to see just which way Mr Willesee casts
> his dice in the gamble for ratings.
> Will it still be the contrived lunacy of Makin, mixed with the beat-up
> consumer stories and local human interest stuff.
> Or will Australia's top current affairs host have the courage to move
> back to serious TV journalism at a time when most people would expect
> and appreciate it?
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Date: October 16, 1980
> Newspaper: The Sydney Morning Herald
> Newspaper Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Article: John Howard: Treasurer vs politician
> Author: Gregory Bright
> Quote Page 9, Column 7
> Database: Newspapers.com
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> Then the Treasurer took over: "Thinking this through, it is just an
> internal banking matter."
> "They're within their rights to do that. It's a pre-election beat-up
> (the story), that's what it is." He added: "And Ron's wife's been
> ill."
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Date: September 20, 1982
> Newspaper: The Age
> Newspaper Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
> Article: Blues' faith reaps its reward
> Author: Geoff Slattery
> Quote Page 28, Column 1
> Database: Newspapers.com
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> The ingredients of this match between Carlton and Hawthorn were
> fascinating, even without the media's gleefully beat-up feud. In any
> contest, you could not wish for two more dissimilar combatants than
> Hawthorn and Carlton.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Date: February 17, 1984
> Newspaper: The Sydney Morning Herald
> Newspaper Location: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
> Article: Polls crucial test for both leaders
> Author: Peter Kennedy
> Quote Page 4, Column 3
> Database: Newspapers.com
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> The paper added that the media could "beat up a problem for Andrew" if
> the Liberals suffered a reverse. But an objective view showed "it is
> Hawke who will have the problem if Labor do not obtain a swing."
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Garson
> 
> On Sat, Aug 7, 2021 at 12:50 PM James Eric Lawson <jel at nventure.com> wrote:
>>
>> As documented in a 1988 UPI article, "beat-up" is more akin to
>> 'overblown' than an outright hoax: "beat-up (something blown out of
>> proportion)".
>>
>> 28 Feb 1988, "Australia's baffling language: A primer on 'Aussie speak'":
>>
>> https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/02/28/Australias-baffling-language-A-primer-on-Aussie-speak/8697573022800/
>>
>> On 8/7/21 9:17 AM, George Thompson wrote:
>>> This is from a story by Katharine Murphy originating in Australia, in
>>> the Guardian
>>> website, dated Friday, August 6.
>>> Checking the internet for this sense seems hopeless, since it is hidden
>>> among the multitude of occurrences of the more common senses -- if it's
>>> there at all.
>>>
>>> Interesting to see that our antipodean cousins are regaled with the same
>>> malarky as we are.
>>>
>>> GAT
>>>
>>> Politicians report they are copping it from both sides – from constituents
>>> who support the public health response, but fear the government has
>>> buggered up the vaccination rollout.  MPs are also copping it from
>>> constituents who think the pandemic is a beat-up or a conspiracy of some
>>> kind, and from their traditional supporters who think centre-right
>>> governments should not be shuttering businesses and spending like there is
>>> no tomorrow.
>>>
>>
>> --
>> James Eric Lawson
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 

-- 
James Eric Lawson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org