worked over
Beaten up badly
Worked over describes being subjected to harsh treatment, whether physical or verbal.
Someone who's been worked over has typically been beaten up: The thugs worked him over pretty good.
It can also mean thoroughly examined or reworked: The editor worked over the manuscript until it was unrecognizable.
The phrase implies repeated, sustained action rather than a single blow.
- brutalizedHarshly abused or attacked
- bashedStruck violently
- beatenHaving lost a contest
- beat upAssault physically, cause injury
- batteredDamaged by repeated blows
knocked around · bludgeoned · edited · pummeled · corrected · bruised · put through the wringer · exhausted · refined · modified · demoralized · manipulated · clobbered · gone through · assaulted · revamped · roughed up · taken apart
worked overuntouched
Not contacted or affected
left alone · pristine · unaltered · unmodified · original
work, over, worked, works, working, worker, workers, workable, unworkable