soup up

1 :  to increase the power, efficiency, or performance of soup up an engine Some cars souped up with customized engines and suspensions may be uninsurable through standard policies. — Consumer Reports … the giant particle accelerator at CERN, near Geneva, had been souped up until it could achieve the energy required to test the contention of the electroweak theory that neutral intermediate vector bosons actually exist. — Timothy Ferris

2 :  to heighten the impact of :  to make more exciting or colorful The ads you've seen are for old cold remedies that have been souped up and given a new marketing spin. — Joe and Teresa Graedon But she's doing what Kirstein accuses the dilettantes of doing—souping up her performance with ballet stylization. — Arlene Croce