give it some welly

present singular third person gives it some welly · participle present giving it some welly · past gave it some welly · participle past given it some welly · alternative give it some wellie

1. UKslangTo increase fuel or power to an engine, as to a car by depressing the gas pedal.

   Believe me, if you give it a little welly down a twisty B-road this car feels pretty entertaining

   2000, Autocar, page 63

   2 more examples

   Having put the engineer at ease, I think, it was time to give the car some welly and I was amazed how effortlessly it rocketed up to, er, high speeds, then lost speed almost as rapidly when the powerful brakes came into use.

   2007, David Dixon, Richard Noble, “Tom Walkinshaw's Le Mans Effort”, in Watts My Line?: The Life and Work of Editorial Artist, Lawrie Watts, page 72

   I insisted we share the driving and, after we pulled in for a tank of petrol one hour into our drive, she reluctantly let me take over. 'Give it some welly,' she said to me as I eased off the clutch. 'I'm trying,' I said

   2008, Alan McMonagle, Liar, Liar

2. UKidiomaticslangTo apply great physical effort to (something).

   First they always obey the golden rule ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might’ (Ecclesiastes 9:19), which translates as ‘always give it some welly’.

   2008, Mark Salter, Trevor Turner, Community Mental Health Care: A Practical Guide to Outdoor Psychiatry

   2 more examples

   I was then given the floor and had already determined that an impassioned rather than a measured delivery was what the occasion called for and as these opportunities do not present themselves very often I thought I would give it some welly.

   2008, Ben Barnes, Plays and Controversies: Abbey Theatre Diaries 2000-2005, page 40

   So there I was, the dutiful husband, holding onto my wife's head and shouting words of comfort to her, “Go on love, give it some welly!” I'd completely forgotten all I'd learned from the classes I'd attended prior to our Thomas's arrival.

   2008, Andy Thackwray, The Fruits From An Innocent Mind, page 52