pepper-upper

or pep·per up·per

[ pep-er-uhp-er ]

noun

, Informal.

1. something, as a food, beverage, or pill, that provides a quick but temporary period of energy and alertness.
2. something added to food to relieve blandness.
3. an experience that increases enthusiasm or zeal, as a pep talk.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pepper-upper¹

1935–40; pep up + -er ¹, suffixed pleonastically to both v. and particle