English of the Day: Buff Out

What does "buff out" mean?

"Buff out" is a common English phrasal verb with two main meanings, depending on the context.

 

1. Buff out (for cars or surfaces)

▶️ Meaning:
To polish or smooth out scratches, dents, or surface imperfections.

▶️ Example sentence:

• "Don’t worry about the scratch on your car. You can get that buffed out at the shop."
  (차에 난 긁힘 걱정 마세요. 정비소 가면 그거 금방 닦아낼 수 있어요.)

▶️ When to use:
 When talking about car scratches
 When talking about polishing surfaces like furniture or metal

 

 

 

2. Buffed out (for people / body)

▶️ Meaning:
When talking about people, "buffed out" means very muscular or physically fit.

▶️ Example sentence:

• "Wow! He’s really buffed out these days!"
  (와! 요즘 정말 근육질 몸매네!)

▶️ When to use:
Talking about someone with a lot of muscles
 Describing gym results

 

 

Scene from the Movie Bad Boys

In the movie Bad Boys, there’s a famous line:
"You can get that buffed out." It was said when a car got a dent, and the character was joking that the damage could be easily polished away.

 

Korean Translation:
“그거 닦아내면 괜찮아질 거야.”
(= 큰 문제 아니라는 농담)

 

 

 Summary 요약

ExpressionMeaning

Buff out (cars)	표면 긁힘이나 흠집을 닦아내다, 없애다
Buffed out (body)	근육질, 몸짱

 

 

 

 Example conversation 대화 예시:

A: Oh no! I scratched your car… 😨
B: Relax. You can get that buffed out. 😉

A: 오 안돼! 네 차 긁었어… 😨
B: 진정해~ 그거 닦아내면 돼. 😉