1. U 牛肉　 meat from a cow
2. U 力量　 physical strength; power
3. C 抱怨；牢骚　 complaint

　boil ～　煮牛肉
　braise ～　炖牛肉
　broil ～　烤牛肉
　cook ～　烧牛肉
　roast ～　烤牛肉
　baked ～　烤牛肉
　chipped ～　熏牛肉片
　cold ～　冷牛肉
　corned ～　腌制的牛肉
　dried ～　牛肉干
　prime ～　上等牛肉
　rare ～　三成熟牛肉
　roast ～　烤牛肉
　smoked ～　熏牛肉
　baby ～　小牛肉
　salt ～　咸牛肉
　～ cattle　肉牛
　～ steak　牛排
　～ tea　牛肉汁

　There's cold beef going.　有冻牛肉出售。
　Which do you like better, beef or pork?　牛肉和猪肉你喜欢哪种?
　How much beef did she buy?　她买了多少牛肉?
　She bought two jin of beef in supermarket.　她在超级市场买了两斤牛肉。
　We have bought ten beeves〔beefs〕 from Iowa.　我们从艾奥瓦买来十头菜牛。
　Come on, put some beef into the job!　来，加把劲干活吧！
　You should put beef into your work.　你要努力工作。
　My main beef is that it went on too long.　我最不满意的是这件事拖的时间太长。
　Bob is a boy with a great deal of beef.　鲍勃是个高大健壮的男孩。

1. 牛肉富含蛋白质。
　［误］ The beef is rich proteins.
　［正］ Beef is rich in proteins.
　他雇了两个身强力壮的人当保镖。
　［误］ He has hired as his bodyguards two men with plenty of beefs.
　［正］ He has hired as his bodyguards two men with plenty of beef.
　［析］ beef作“牛肉”“肌肉”“肌力”解时是不可数名词，不可加-s.
2. 我晚饭吃的牛肉味道很好。
　［误］ Beef I had at supper was very delicious.
　［正］ The beef I had at supper was very delicious.
　［析］ beef带有限制性定语从句，属特指，须加定冠词。

　vt　抱怨 complain

　beef　用作动词是美国俚语，与about连用，意思是“抱怨”；与up连用，意思是“加强”。

 ♣ beef about　(v.+prep.)
　抱怨　complain; grumble
　She never beefed about her miserable life.　她对苦日子从不抱怨。
　Stop beefing about your pay and do some work!　不要对你的薪水没完没了的发牢骚了，做点事吧！
 ♣ beef up　(v.+adv.)
　〈非正〉加强　 reinforce the army
　〔说明〕 beef up通常不用于进行体。
　It's quite a good story but it needs beefing up a bit before we can publish it.　这是个相当好的故事，但还要充实一下我们才能发表。
　That was seen as a campaign to beef up American forces in Europe.　那件事被认为是美国在欧洲加强军事力量的活动。
　The colony's garrison was now beefed up to about forty thousand service personnel.　在殖民地的驻军目前增加到大约4万人。

　［词源］　古英语boef（牛，牛肉）