IdiomDaily LifeEnglish

whip someone or something into shape

Meaning: To mold or assemble something into its proper shape quickly.

Example: “The new coach whipped the team into shape in a month.”

Origin: This expression comes from the very old belief that bear cubs were born misshapen and had to literally be licked into shape by their mothers and fathers. By the late 1600s, this phrase was being used with the figurative meaning it has now.

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