What it means
Tells someone to put more power or effort into whatever they’re doing, like pushing harder, speeding up, or giving a stuck thing a proper boot. Welly is short for Wellington boot, as in giving it a kick, and by extension giving it some extra oomph. Said when someone’s faffing, or when a machine needs a bit of persuasion.
Usage examples
"Come on, mate, the mower’s spluttering again. Give it some welly, yank the cord proper, and stop faffing or we’ll be here all day"
"The hill is steep, so give it some welly in second gear or the old van will stall halfway up."
"Come on, give it some welly on that last chorus, the back row needs to hear you too."
Where it comes from
The welly is the wellington boot, and to give it some welly is to stamp your boot down hard, on the accelerator, the spade or the task at hand. Very British, it means to apply force and gusto, to stop being timid and really go for it. Boot all the way to the floor.
Other ways to say it
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