Doctor Up

In Appalachian and Southern speech, "doctor up" means to improve, fix, or dress up something - especially food or drink by adding extra ingredients.

#SouthernWords #Appalachia #FoodandDrink #Southern

synonyms: improve, tweak, upgrade

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I use 'doctored up' often - especially when I'm tryin' to get a young'un to eat something.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I use 'doctored up' often - especially when I'm tryin' to get a young'un to eat something.

Pronunciation

[DOK-tur up]
/ˈdɑk.tər ʌp/

Meaning & Usage

- To enhance or improve food or drink (verb)

Mae:

This rice tastes good.

Earl:

I doctored it up with butter ’n sugar.

- To fix up or improve something non-food (verb)

Ruby:

Truck was missin’ bad.

Estel:

I doctored up that carburetor. She’ll run.

variations: doctor-up, doctored-up, doctor it up

★ If someone in the South says they "doctored up" a dish, expect extra butter, sugar, bacon grease, hot sauce, or a secret ingredient Mamaw swore by. ★

Origin and Etymology

From the verb "doctor," meaning to alter, repair, or remedy. The usage dates back to at least the mid-1800s in American English, with especially heavy documentation in Appalachian and Southern rural speech, where foods and home fixes were often "doctored up" instead of replaced.

Usage Notes

"Doctor up" is most common in Southern and Appalachian cooking, where plain dishes are improved by adding butter, sugar, spices, or other ingredients. The phrase also applies more broadly to quick fixes or temporary improvements outside the kitchen. Even doctoring up a wound.

doctor up (food) - improve the flavor or texture by adding ingredients
doctor up (objects) - patch or fix something temporarily
doctor (alone) - a shorter form used the same way in some families
doctored up - the completed or altered version of something

Kin Topics

Common Questions

Does "doctor up" only apply to food?

No - it can mean fixing or improving anything, but the food sense is especially Southern/Appalachian.

Is it still used today?

Very much. It’s one of the most natural regional expressions for "improve it a little."

Does it mean "heal" like a doctor?

Not literally - it just borrows the idea of "fixing" or "making better."

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, November 21). Doctor Up. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/doctor-up
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Doctor Up." HillbillySlang.com, 21 Nov. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/doctor-up.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Doctor Up." HillbillySlang.com. November 21, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/doctor-up.