cook

chief cook and bottle washer

Fig. the person in charge of practically everything (such as in a very small business). I'm the chief cook and bottle washer around here. I do everything.

See also: and, bottle, chief, washer

cook (something) out

to cook food out of doors. Shall we cook out some chicken tonight? Yes, let's cook out.

See also: out

cook someone's goose

Fig. to damage or ruin someone. I cooked my own goose by not showing up on time. Sally cooked Bob's goose for treating her the way he did.

See also: goose

cook something to perfection

to cook something perfectly. John cooked my steak to perfection. The entire dinner was cooked to perfection!

cook something up (with someone)

Fig. to arrange or plan to do something with someone. (The something is usually the word something. See also cook something up.) I tried to cook something up with Karen for Tuesday. I want to cook up something with John. Let's see if we can cook something up.

See also: up

cook something up (with someone)

Fig. to arrange or plan to do something with someone. (The something is usually the word something. See also cook something up.) I tried to cook something up with Karen for Tuesday. I want to cook up something with John. Let's see if we can cook something up.

See also: up

cook the accounts and cook the books

to cheat in bookkeeping; to make the accounts appear to balance when they do not. Jane was charged with cooking the accounts of her mother's store. It's hard to tell whether she really cooked the accounts or just didn't know what she was doing.

See also: account

Too many cooks spoil the stew. and Too many Cooks spoil the broth.

Prov. Cliché Too many people trying to manage something simply spoil it. Let's decide who is in charge around here. Too many cooks spoil the stew. Everyone is giving orders, but no one is following them! Too many cooks spoil the broth.

See also: many, spoil, stew

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be chief cook and bottle washer  (humorous)

to be the person who is responsible for cooking meals and washing the pans and dishes It's my birthday party, so Alan is chief cook and bottle washer tonight.

See also: and, bottle, chief, washer

cook somebody's goose  (informal)

if you cook someone's goose, you do something that spoils their plans and prevents them from succeeding Disgruntled employees cooked Blackledge's goose by leaking private documents to the press.

See also: goose

cook the books  (informal)

to record false information in the accounts of an organization, especially in order to steal money (usually in continuous tenses) One of the directors had been cooking the books and the firm had been losing money for years.

See also: book

Too many cooks (spoil the broth).

something that you say which means that if too many people try to work on the same piece of work, they will spoil it There were so many people working on the same project, no one knew what anyone else was doing. I think it was a case of too many cooks.

See also: many

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cook the books

to keep false financial records for an organization We're not going to cook the books or lie about the health of our business.

See also: book

cook up something also cook something up

to invent something to produce a result you want Freddy cooked up a great story so that Jane wouldn't know she was on her way to a surprise party for her birthday.

Usage notes: often cook up means to invent something that is dishonest or illegal: I'd like to find out who cooked this scheme up.

Etymology: based on the idea of cooking food to make a meal

See also: up