cookn.¹

Brit.

/kʊk/, U.S.

/kʊk/

Forms: Old English–Middle English coc, Old English–Middle English kok, Middle English cocus (plural), Middle English cok, Middle English coque, Middle English couke (northern), Middle English cuke (northern and north-east midlands), Middle English cuyke (northern), Middle English koke, Middle English kooke, Middle English–1500s kowke (northern), Middle English–1600s coke, Middle English–1600s cooke, Middle English– cook; English regional (Northumberland) 1800s keuk; Scottish pre-1700 coik, pre-1700 coock, pre-1700 cooke, pre-1700 couke, pre-1700 cowke, pre-1700 cuick, pre-1700 cuk, pre-1700 cuke, pre-1700 cuyk, pre-1700 cwik, pre-1700 koke, pre-1700 kouk, pre-1700 kuik, pre-1700 kuk, pre-1700 kuke, pre-1700 kwik, pre-1700 kwke, pre-1700 1700s– cook, pre-1700 1800s– cuik, 1800s couk, 1800s keuk, 1800s kyook (north-eastern), 1800s kyuck, 1900s kyeuk (north-eastern).

Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin cōcus.

Etymology: < post-classical Latin cōcus, variant (see note) of classical Latin coquus , cocus cook < the same base as coquere to cook, bake, boil, to ripen < (with assimilation of consonants) the same Indo-European base as Sanskrit pac- to cook, Old Church Slavonic pešti to bake, fry, Old Russian peči to bake (Russian peč′ ), Lithuanian (with metathesis) kepti to bake, to fry, Albanian pjek to bake, roast, to ripen; a derived form of the present is seen in ancient Greek πέσσειν , (Attic) πέττειν to cook, bake, to ripen. In branch II. < cook v.¹Parallels in other Germanic languages. Compare Old Frisian kok (West Frisian kok ), Old Dutch coc (only as a surname; Middle Dutch coc , Dutch kok ), Old Saxon kok (Middle Low German kok , German regional (Low German) Kock ), Old High German koh (Middle High German koch , German Koch ), and also ( < Middle Low German) Old Swedish kokker (Swedish kock ), Old Danish kok (Danish kok ; > Icelandic kokkur (16th cent.)), all with short stem vowel, reflecting an early borrowing of the Latin word with original short vowel. By contrast, Old English cōc (with long stem vowel) shows a later independent borrowing from Latin at a time after the lengthening of original short vowels in open syllables (i.e. cōcus for earlier cocus ). Romance parallels. Compare Old French, Middle French, French queux (c1100 as cous , oblique case plural), Old Occitan coc (c1150), Catalan coc (1344), Italian cuoco (early 13th cent.). The form of the Latin word. Latin grammarians (of the 4th–6th centuries a.d.) report that the form coquus is earlier than the form cocus . In inscriptions the form cocus is much more common; in manuscripts both forms are widely used. The forms coquos and quoqui , plural (among others) are also attested. Use in names. Earlier currency of sense 1b is probably implied by street names, apparently denoting a street where the premises of tradesmen selling cooked food were located; compare le Cookrow, Norwich (1288; a1272 as Vicus Cocorum), le Cockeslone, Chester (1317), le Cokerowe, Shrewsbury (1325), le Cokesrowe, Chester (1330), le Cokrowe, Lincoln (1336), la Coukerewe, Wimborne Minster (1364). Significantly earlier currency of the same sense may perhaps be shown by the following example of ‘Geoffrey the cook’ in a list of witnesses to an early 12th-cent. Exeter manumission, although without context the precise sense cannot be determined:lOE Manumission, Exeter (Exeter 3501) in C. Fox & B. Dickins Early Cultures North-west Europe (1950) 366 And ðis is seo gewitnisse, Iohan alurices sune,..Huberd Randolf cotes sune, Osbern Hod Pilegrim Ialebriht Gesfrei se coc & Pierres se niulier [i.e. wafer-baker]. Attested early as a surname, where likewise the precise sense is difficult to determine; compare Walter le Kuc (1250), Henry Coke (1279), Ralph le Cook (1296), Robert le Couk (1327), etc. Also attested early as a surname borne by a woman, e.g. Alice le Coke (late 13th cent.), Cecilia la Couk (1327), Agneta le Cok (1327), etc., although it is unclear whether these women were so called as being themselves cooks (in whatever sense) or wives or daughters of a (male) cook.

I. A person who cooks (in various senses).

1. A person whose occupation is the preparation and cooking of food.In early use other than in sense 1a(b) apparently an occupation predominantly (but not exclusively) followed by men. Cf. cookess n.

(a) A person employed to prepare and cook food in a great household, college, monastery, hospital, etc., spec. the senior domestic servant (in early use typically a man) in charge of the kitchens and responsible for the planning of meals in such an establishment (now chiefly historical).It is now often more typical for a professional cook (especially the head cook) in a large household or institution to be referred to as a chef, as in commercial settings (see sense 1b).In many contexts, this sense is increasingly blended with sense 1b, as a result of the commercialization of institutional kitchens.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun]

cookOE

trenchermana1586

kitchenist?1617

magirist1716

cooky1759

magirologist1814

pot-wrestler1831

cuisinier1859

home economist1891

poisoner1905

OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) xi. 197 Gif man preosthades cocas næbbe [L. si coci clerici desunt], and hit neod beo þæt læwede cocas þæder in gan.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4040 Weoren in þeos kinges cuchene twa hundred cokes.

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 2898 Bertram, þat was the erles kok.

c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. l. 155 (MED) I haue be cook in hir kichyne and þe couent serued.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. ix. 23 Then the coke toke vp a shulder..and set it before Saul.

1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 35 This yere was a coke boylyd in a cauderne in Smythfeld for he wolde a powsynd the byshoppe of Rochester.

1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. Introd. Pref. sig. b3 He had rather his Entertainments should please the Guests, than the Cooks.

1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. vi. 109 I had three hundred Cooks to dress my Victuals.

1890 Balliol College (Oxf.) Rules 4 The dinner at the Strangers' Table is not to cost more than half-a-crown per head, and is to be arranged by the Cook.

1957 Times 19 July 3/2 (advt.) Sussex Preparatory school requires cook; start mid-September: room in separate cottage.

2012 J. M. Spicksley Business & Househ. Accts. J. Jeffreys 54 Joyce specified payments of wages to at least twenty individuals..including household servants, a cook—and brewing-maid, two coachmen, a blacksmith, and even the parish clerk.

(b) A person (typically a woman) employed to prepare the meals in a small, private household.It is difficult to clearly distinguish early evidence which might show this sense from use in sense 1a(a).

ΚΠ

1594 Knacke to knowe Knaue sig. D3 For your kitchin, keep a woman cooke, One that will serue for thirtie shillings a yeare.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) i. ii. 4 Mistris Quickly; which is in the manner of his Nurse; or his dry-Nurse; or his Cooke; or his Laundry.

1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 20 Let the Cook..follow..with a Ladle-full [of soup], and dribble it all the Way up Stairs.

1873 L. Troubridge Jrnl. in Life amongst Troubridges (1966) 11 Mrs Quick is the cook... She makes very good things for late dinner but not for our [sc. the children's] dinner.

1937 W. Lewis Blasting & Bombardiering iv. viii. 241 At present I should be living in a villa just outside Paris with a Japanese cook and a Zulu butler.

2012 Sun (Nexis) 6 Oct. 36–7 Opportunities in Mumbai are huge, it's like the golden age to be here. We have a driver, a cook, a cleaner, which gives me more time with my wife and friends.

b. A person whose occupation is the preparation of cooked food for sale in a restaurant, shop, stall, or some other commercial setting; a professional chef or caterer. In early use frequently: the proprietor of a restaurant, shop, or stall serving cooked food to customers (cf. cookshop n. 1).See also fry cook n. at fry n.² Additions, line cook n. at line n.² Additions, pastry-cook n.In some commercial contexts it is now more typical for a person employed to prepare food (esp. the head of the kitchen in a hotel, restaurant, etc.) to be referred to as a chef; cf. note at sense 1a(a).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > keeper of eating-house > [noun]

hostc1290

taverner1340

hosteler1350

cookc1390

ostlera1400

goodman1430

innkeeperc1449

hosterc1503

hostler?a1505

tabler1569

tavern-keeper1611

ordinary keeper1644

cantinier1721

landlord1724

traiteur1751

tavern-man1755

restaurateur1793

restorator1796

restauranteur1837

restauranter1863

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. Prol. l. 104 Cookes [B text c1400 Laud 581 Cokes] and heore knaues Cryen ‘hote pies, hote!’

a1450 in L. T. Smith York Plays (1885) p. xxiv Cukes..Waterleders.

?a1500 in J. C. Tingey Rec. City of Norwich (1910) II. 316 The Meyr of this cite comaundyth..þat non cook selle no vetaile but it be well sesonde and þt thei rechafe no mete.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 206/2 Coke that selleth meate, cuisinier.

1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 18 We went to a boiling Cook's in Rosemary-lane.

1805 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. V. 151 The cooks of London, who were incorporated by Edward 4. bargained and sold a part of their lands in fee.

1968 D. O'Grady Bottle of Sandwiches 160 Meals consisted of piles of sangers, made by the pub cook, and brought out at odd intervals.

2009 D. Lepak & M. Gowan Human Resource Managem. iv. 86 Compare the job of a cook in a fast-food restaurant to that of a chef in a fine restaurant.

c. A crew member on a ship who prepares and cooks food for the crew; esp. one who is in charge of the galley, is responsible for planning meals. Later also: a person who prepares food for a military unit, camp, etc.See also mess cook n. at mess n.¹ Compounds 1b, sergeant cook n. at sergeant n. Compounds 2, sea-cook n. at sea n. Compounds 6a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > ship's cook

cook1466

sea-cook1707

doctor1803

slushy1859

potwalloper1890

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > army cook

cook1466

slum burner1930

1466 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 208 Paid to Blowebolle kooke of the kervelle [sc. a carvel, a type of ship], xx.d.

1553 S. Cabot in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) i. 260 The steward and cooke of euery ship.

1633 T. James Strange Voy. 92 Sometimes..we should so strike against the Ice, that the fore-part of the Ship would cracke againe; and make our Cooke and others to runne vp all amazed, and thinke the Ship had beene beaten all to pieces.

1693 E. Bohun Char. Queen Elizabeth 256 John Oxenham a Common Sailer,..had served under him [sc. Sir Francis Drake] in his former Expeditions, as a Soldier, Seaman, and Cook.

1772 Morning Chron. 5 June I am an old soldier, when I was encamped in Flanders, I remember an army-cook who would never let us have an ounce of fat to our meat.

1825 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 42/1 The ship's cook might have saved himself the trouble of rousing out his unwilling and yawning dirty mate, long ere the cock crew.

1871 A. Forbes My Experiences of War between France & Germany 243 The kitchen was a part of the hut partitioned off, and we had the battalion cook there—a resplendent being in a white cap and apron.

1922 B.Hecht 1001 Afternoons in Chicago 146 I understand you were a cook on a tramp steamer in the south seas.

1986 Times 15 Feb. 3/8 Her husband..left his job as a cook in the Army Catering Corps.

2006 Maritime Labour Convent. (Internat. Labour Organization) §3.2.3 Seafarers employed as ships' cooks with responsibility for food preparation must be trained and qualified for their position on board ship.

†2. figurative and in figurative contexts.

a. A person, animal, or thing regarded as supplying or preparing food or nourishment for someone or something else. Frequently (esp. in religious or moral contexts) with reference to the dead human body as a source of food for worms. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c1300 Sayings St. Bernard (Laud) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) 511 (MED) Man is worm and wormes cok, For he schal wormes fede.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 481 (MED) The Stomach coc is for the halle, And builleth mete for hem alle [i.e. the livere, lunge, galle, splen].

c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1911) 164 (MED) The hynde..kam..With a repast of hir mylk..She was thy cook, she was thy boteleer, Ageyn the constreynt of hunger to do boote.

1511 Kalender of Shepherdes (new ed.) sig. F.vii^v They that nouryssheth wel y^e flesshe prepayreth meet for wormes, & so the gloton is coke to wormes.

1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια viii. xxix. 679 The Stomacke doeth prepare and minister meate to the Liuer as a Cooke.

1681 New Copy Verses about Interlopers (single sheet) Embalmers those Cooks, who for Worms dress a Feast.

b. A person who prepares, develops, or rehashes something, esp. a piece of writing. See cook v.¹ 5. Obsolete and somewhat rare.

ΚΠ

a1585 A. Montgomerie Flyting with Polwart (Tullibardine) in Poems (2000) I. 143 Thy scrowis obscuir ar borrowit fra sum buik. Fra lyndsay þow tuik, þow art chawceris cuik.

1782 Monthly Rev. Jan. 5 If you will permit me to follow this metaphor, and return to his talents, I will say, Voltaire was a great literary cook.

1830 C. Babbage Refl. Decline of Sci. 178 If a hundred observations are made, the Cook must be very unlucky if he cannot pick out fifteen or twenty which will do for serving up.

3. With reference to a person who is not a domestic servant or a professional chef or caterer.

a. With modifying word. A person considered in terms of the quality of his or her cooking, or enthusiasm for cookery.

ΚΠ

1607 L. Lloyd Tragicocomedie of Serpents v. 54 Euerie souldier that Alexander hath, is a better Cooke, and maketh sweeter sawce, than the Queene of Caria can make.

1747 A. Campbell Sequel Bulkeley & Cummins's Voy. South Seas iii. 31 Captain Cheap himself..proved an excellent Cook. I had the Honour to sup with him one Night, when we had a slaugh Cake of his making, the best I ever eat on the Island.

1834 A. Conolly Journey to North of India Overland I. xvii. 307 A friend and protegé of the Syud's..proposed to accompany us to Hindoostân, and as his object was a laudable one, and he was a good cook, we agreed to take him with us.

1890 Good Housek. 22 Nov. 340/1 I know when things are good. Robert says that is the reason I am a good cook; that many women are poor cooks simply because they do not know the difference between good and bad food.

1964 D. Krell et al. Adventures in Food 119 Turkeys..and ducks and squabs..give enthusiastic cooks a great opportunity to try new and fascinating recipes.

2020 @RealLucyLawless 4 Apr. in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2020) I am the worst cook in the world. So if I can pull off sourdough bread, anyone can.

b. A person who does the cooking on a particular occasion. Later also: the member of a family, household, etc., who usually prepares its meals.

ΚΠ

1700 J. Whitney Dialogue Piscator & Corydon in Genteel Recreation 61 Corydon... Some friends I have at need, and those Shall sup with us, if nothing do oppose... Command my House, one hour I crave to be Among my kine, and other drudgery... Piscator Well, I'll be Cook, against your quick return.

1785 H. Swinburne Trav. in Two Sicilies II. xxi. 166 Our pilot, who acted as cook, had provided a most plentiful supply of limpets, prawns, and red mullets.

1879 W. Hughes Let. 15 Apr. in T. Hughes G.T.T. Gone to Texas (1884) ii. 83 We stewed him [sc. a rabbit] for breakfast, and wasn't he good, oh my..! I am generally cook, and turn out some fine concoctions; but G—— and Tim are rapidly learning.

1943 Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chron. 2 Sept. 11/1 It behooves the cook of the household to make plans now for disposing of any surplus the garden may yield.

1992 W. J. McKay Me, an Evangelist? xiii. 149 Jim came over for a meal and to meet Sarah... I was the cook that night.

2017 @Kimmmm_n 12 Aug. in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2020) Steven is the cook in our house. After dinner I wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen.

II. The action of cook v.¹, in various senses.

a. North American. Cheese-making. A stage in the cheese-making process in which the curds and whey are gently heated before being separated. Chiefly with modifying word indicating temperature, extent, etc., of heating, etc. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1870 T. D. Curtis Hints on Cheese-making xv. 74 We believe that an even cook or scald is of the utmost importance, and that everything that can should be done to secure that end.

1919 N.Y. Produce Rev. & Amer. Creamery 16 July 557/1 A crumbly body is usually caused by over-ripe milk, too much starter, too high a cook, too long heating, or too long stirring of curd after dipping.

1931 H. L. Wilson & C. S. Trimble Manuf. of Low-acid Cottage Cheese (U.S. Dept. Agric. Misc. Publ. No. 119) 2 An ordinary cheese vat with a water jacket should be used, because a slower and more uniform cook will result than with a steam-jacketed vat.

b. colloquial (originally North American). An act of heating food; a period or instance of cooking. Usually with modifying word indicating the duration, extent, etc., of cooking.

ΚΠ

1920 Amer. Food Jrnl. Nov. 26/3 A can of food may be sterilized by a quick cook at a high temperature, or by a protracted cook at a lower temperature.

1947 Winnipeg Tribune 24 Jan. 11/2 Cook until mixture responds to usual test for jelly or jam. This is not a long, slow cook.

1996 rec.food.preserving 14 Mar. (Usenet newsgroup, accessed 15 Apr. 2020) Remember to can [asparagus] only in wide mouth jars, tips DOWN, or you may not get an even cook, and lose a batch!

2019 @dgkimpton 10 Dec. in twitter.com (accessed 15 Apr. 2020) Great steak mostly just needs the chill taking off, crap steak needs a thorough cook through.

5. Chess. An alternative solution to a problem which differs from that intended by the setter, thus spoiling or invalidating the problem. Cf. earlier cook v.¹ 8.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > problems > solutions

key1845

cook1875

1875 S. H. Thomas in Westm. Papers Apr. 243/1 I almost imagined the author's solution a ‘cook’.

1929 Christian Sci. Monitor 11 June 6/3 Problem..No. 1099 has a cook by QxBch which was overlooked.

1959 Sunday Times 14 June 17/2 Having thoroughly checked for cooks at an earlier stage, the composer makes a slight change..and this change has a side-effect which allows an extra solution.

2006 Chess Life Nov. 56/2 Someone proposed putting another black pawn on e4 to eliminate the cook.

6. Papermaking. The process of boiling pulp with other substances in a digester; an instance of this.

ΘΚΠ

society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > paper-making > [noun] > specific processes

calendering1513

pulping1640

watermarking1851

couching1875

knotting1875

friction-glazing1878

shake1885

soda process1885

cook1894

sulphate process1894

reeling1906

fibrillation1929

conditioning1954

1894 R. B. Griffin & A. D. Little Chem. Paper-making ii. iii. 163 The pulp obtained at the close of the cook is of a grayish brown color, while the liquor is a dark, rich brown.

1963 R. R. A. Higham Handbk. Papermaking v. 100 Digestion may take place either as a quick cook or a slow cook.

2010 H. U. Suess Pulp Bleaching Today iv. 178 Pulping starts with a neutral impregnation followed by an acidic cook.

Phrases

P1. it is an ill cook that cannot lick his (or her) own fingers and variants: a person should want to taste the food that he or she cooks; (hence) one should have pride and faith in one's own work, efforts, etc.Now usually in allusion to or influenced by Shakespeare's use in quot. 1597.

ΚΠ

1509 J. Stanbridge Vulgaria sig. C.iv^v He is an euyll coke that can not lycke his owne lyppes.

1545 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes (new ed.) f. xix He is an euyll cooke, that can not lycke his owne fyngers.

1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. ii. 6 Tis an ill Cooke cannot licke his owne fingers.

1839 Northern Liberator 3 Aug. 4/4 Stop it with your thumb; it is a poor cook that cannot lick her own fingers.

1949 Times Lit. Suppl. 7 Oct. 647 (advt.) We may perhaps be pardoned..if it is with a certain..pride that we now look back across the two hundred and twenty-five years of Longman's publishing, for he is a sorry cook that may not lick his own finger.

2005 K. Heitzmann Unforgotten xxxv. 601 Star plunked a plate down for Mom, then sucked her finger. ‘'Tis an ill cook that cannot lick her own fingers.’ ‘An ill cook in..deed.’ Antonia smiled.

P2. God sends meat, but the devil sends cooks and variants: bad cooks spoil good ingredients.

ΚΠ

1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xi. sig. F.iv^v It is a common prouerbe, God may sende a man good meate, but the deuyll may sende an euyll coke to dystrue it.

1663 ‘P. Stampoy’ Coll. Sc. Prov. 21 God sends meat, and the Devil sends Cooks.

a1779 D. Garrick Poet. Wks. (1785) II. 532 Heaven sends us good meat, but the Devil sends cooks.

1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel III. iii. 79 The homely proverb, that men taunt my calling with—‘God sends good meat, but the devil sends cooks’.

1988 E. Hoagland Learning to Eat Soup in Balancing Acts (1992) 292 Adage: ‘God sends meat, the Devil sends cooks’.

2011 Guardian (Nexis) 18 Oct. Not for nothing does the old saying go, ‘God sends meat and the devil sends cooks’. The brains behind mass-produced meat have made it much more difficult to find good beef.

P3. hunger is the best cook and variants: food tastes better when one is hungry. Cf. hunger is the best kitchen at kitchen n.¹ Phrases 3, hunger is the best sauce (see sauce n. Phrases 1).In early use chiefly in translations from other languages, or in contexts where this is regarded as a proverb from a language other than English. [Compare early modern German der hunger ist der best koch (1530 or earlier).]

ΚΠ

1575 T. Vautrollier tr. M. Luther Comm. Epist. to Galathians f. 155 Hunger is the best Cooke [L. Fames optimus cocus est].

1660 J. Trapp Comm. Holy Script. (Prov. xxvii. 7) 178 Hunger is the best Cook, say the Dutch, the best sawce, say we, experience proves it so: how sweetly doth it season homely cates, coarse fare?

1785 D. MacIntosh Coll. Gaelic Prov. & Familiar Phrases 51 Hunger is a good cook.

1850 Amer. Biblical Repository Jan. 173 That hunger is a good cook has been set down to his credit for the longest possible time the world over.

1973 Addictions Summer 75 For the full enjoyment of leisure, you have to be tired first, as for the full enjoyment of food the best cook is hunger.

2018 Byron Shire Echo (Mullumbimby, New S. Wales) 4 Apr. 6/3 Professor Cohen believes we need to get back in touch with hunger... ‘My mum always said that hunger is the best cook. When you eat you really appreciate it.’

P4.

(a) too many cooks spoil the broth and variants: if too many people are in charge of or involved in a task, it will not be done well.With quots. 1890 and 1985, cf. the later phrase too many cooks in the kitchen at Phrases 4a(b).

ΚΠ

c1575 J. Hooker Life Sir P. Carew in Archaeologia (1840) 28 111 As the common proverbe is, 'the more cookes the worse potage'.

1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 104 As every Cook commends his own Sauce; more then one Cook to a dish will spoile it.

1789 G. Hanger Addr. to Army 100 Consulting them perhaps might have been of use; though, in my humble opinion,..too many cooks generally spoil the broth.

1804 J. Wolcot Great Cry & Little Wool in Wks. (1812) V. 165 The more cooks the worse broth.

1890 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 19 Oct. 10/7 It [sc. a political conspiracy] failed because there were too many cooks in the kitchen and they spoilt the broth.

1903 Brush & Pencil 12 359 It was found that there had been misunderstandings.., so much of the work had to be done over again. It was a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

1985 Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) 19 Sept. a2/4 Costello..said the city had enough prosecutors. ‘Too many cooks in the kitchen will spoil the soup,’ he said.

2019 Philippine Star (Nexis) 18 June Too many cooks spoil the broth and with all of them working independently of each other, they turned an ‘incident’ into a ‘crisis’.

(b) Originally and chiefly U.S. too many cooks in the kitchen: so many people are involved in or trying to take charge of the situation in question that there is little or no chance that it will be managed or done well.This phrase may have developed directly from the earlier phrase too many cooks spoil the broth at Phrases 4a(a) (cf. quots. 1890 and 1985 at Phrases 4a(a) at that sense), or be an elaboration of earlier elliptical use in too many cooks at Phrases 4b.

ΚΠ

1837 Elyria Republican in Daily Ohio Statesman 30 Dec. The Governor..very well knows that the present pecuniary difficulties of the country were produced by an expansion and contraction of the currency... But there were too many cooks in the kitchen. The message is bloated with bankism.

1931 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 11 Sept. 2/2 The farmers complain bitterly of lack of assistance and charge that this lack is due to too many cooks in the kitchen.

1982 Bluefield (W. Va.) Daily Tel. 24 Jan. 4 a/4 Things can get out of hand with too many cooks in the kitchen, as we have all learned.

2007 B. Brandl et al. Elder Abuse Detection & Intervention Introd. p. xvi Like any multidisciplinary team, we balanced the number of participants needed to get the job done versus having ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’

b. Elliptically, in too many cooks.

ΚΠ

1800 C. Dibdin Compl. Hist. Eng. Stage V. 261 Lionel and Clarissa had considerable merit; but in this piece there were too many cooks.

1833 R. H. Horne Expos. False Medium & Barriers excluding Men of Genius from Public 213 A new applicant succeeds in making his way on to the stage through the dense press of ignorance, obstinacy, and knavery of its ‘too many cooks’.

1902 H. C. Merivale Bar, Stage & Platform iv. 67 Then, as afterwards.., too many people wanted their own way. It was the old story of ‘too many cooks’, he said.

1965 D. Clewes Guide Dog xx. 156 ‘I was just going to apprehend him when I saw you'd taken over. Too many cooks,’ he muttered under his breath.

1993 Nation (N.Y.) 29 Nov. 672/2 You can't help wondering if there are simply too many cooks here, the lack of a strong editorial hand accounting both for the uneven quality of the work as a whole and for its lack of intellectual rigor.

2008 Guardian (Nexis) 19 Feb. 31 The reason the tripartite system [of regulation in the financial industry] failed was not simply a case of too many cooks.

Compounds

C1. In compounds denoting or designating a person employed in the preparation and cooking of food.

a. In genitive compounds denoting a servant employed to assist a cook, as in cook's boy, cook's knave, cook's maid, etc. Now historical. [With the plural form cooks' boys in quot. 1935 compare the etymological note at cookshop n.]

ΚΠ

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 278 Þe cokes cnaue þe weschedisch incuchene [c1230 Corpus Cambr. þe wescheð & wipeð disches i cuchene].

c1450 (a1375) Octavian (Calig.) (1979) l. 154 Sche segth a boy, loþly of face, A quysteroun..And seyde, ‘Hark, þou cokes knaue.’

1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten Disc. Voy. E. & W. Indies xxix. 55/1 It is nowe growne so common among them, that very Cookes boyes and others as meane as they, are made knightes.

1613 T. Lodge tr. Seneca Epist. lvi, in tr. Seneca Wks. (1614) 252 An infinite crie of Cake-sellers, of Saudsige-mongers, and crackling Merchants, and all the Cookes skullions, who sell their meate.

1745 Agreeable Compan. 18 True Consistence, such as Cooks-maids make At Shrovetide, when they toss the pliant Cake.

1858 W. W. Sanger Hist. Prostitution xvi. 190 The host was required to provide, at his own cost, a cook and a cook's maid.

1935 Sunday Times 22 Sept. 15/3 [French] hotels..used to employ anything from four to fifteen cooks' boys... These cooks' boys..were not merely performing minor duties in the kitchen—they were preparing to be the chefs of the next generation.

1994 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 93 517 The journey of the hero from cook's knave to king.

b. As a modifier, designating a person employed in cooking, or as an assistant to a cook, as in cook boy, cook man, cook woman. See also cook wench n., cookmaid n.

ΚΠ

a1569 A. Kingsmill Godly Aduise touching Mariage in Viewe Mans Estate (1574) sig. I.ij^v The fine cooke men dight the rude morsell with some conceyte of their cunning, but I haue no other Sugar to grace my dishe withall.

1571 in Bannatyne Misc. (1855) III. 121 I was careit to the Bischope of Ely's howse in Holburne; quhair I remanit, and two serwandis … , with my cooke boy.

1664 in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun Misc. Maitland Club (1840) II. 511 To Williame Scharpis stewart his cooklass, Alexander Miller at my Lordis directione [five pounds eleven shillings].

1682 G. Hartman True Preserver & Restorer of Health xiii. 153 Sir Kenelm Digby's Cook-woman..once surfeited her self, by eating of those..dangerous fish called Mussels.

1796 Before Lords Commissioners of Appeals Prize Causes: The Lion, App. Appellant's Case 6 The Crew of the said Brig consisted of the..Master., Four Seamen, and a Black Boy, Cook Slave to the said Master, and also the Second Mate.

1800 Narr. Sketches Conquest of Mysore 24 There is allowed to each regiment, an establishment of one hundred and sixty boys..; they are the sons of deserving officers and Sepoys, or the cook lads and others attached to the Europeans.

1876 L. Coffin Reminiscences ix. 304 I did not know whether she was a cook girl, chambermaid, nurse girl or field hand.

1915 R. Humphreys Trav. East of Suez 195 It was the cook wallah who came up and announced dinner would be ready in a few minutes.

2008 Dominion Post (New Zealand) (Nexis) 24 Jan. 7 Pasang..worked as a cook-boy on many of Sir Ed's expeditions, making porridge and doing dishes.

c. As a modifier, designating a domestic servant who does the work of a cook but also does the duties of the servant indicated by the second element, as in cook-housekeeper, cook-housemaid, cook-valet, etc. See also cook-general n. at Compounds 1d, and quot. 1918 at cookmaid n.

ΚΠ

1784 Leeds Intelligencer 13 Jan. Wanted in a Gentleman's Family in the Country, a Cook-Housekeeper, that has lived in good Places, and can produce an undeniable Character.

1811 Morning Post 4 Dec. A Cook House-Maid, or House-Maid Cook, is wanted, for the Service of a Single Gentleman, where only one other, a Man-servant is kept.

1864 H. M. Smythies Guilty, or Not Guilty I. xxi. 297 Two of the Croft girls were watching the lovely patient, while the cook-nurse, Lisbeth, went to her supper.

1870 F. M. Whitehurst Diary 13 Feb. in My Private Diary (1875) 302 ‘What hour does M. le Comte dine?’ ‘Ah! towards the six or seven hours,’ replies calmly a Paris French cook-valet as he peels an onion for..soup.

1892 C. M. Yonge That Stick xi. 71 The indoor servants were all new, the cook-housekeeper hired by Lady Kenton's assistance.

1917 N.Y. Times 8 July (Real Estate section) iv. 10/4 (advt.) Japanese cook-valet wants position bachelor's apartment.

2009 Crossroads (Shoal Lake, Manitoba) 7 Mar. 28/4 Elderly persons housing..requires a permanent cook/housekeeper for 35 hours per week. Duties include preparing/serving dinner..and general housekeeping duties.

cook-general n. now historical a domestic servant who does the duties of a cook as well as general housework; cf. general n. 9.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > cook or housekeeper

cook-general1896

society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > domestic servant > [noun] > housekeeper > and cook

cook-general1896

1896 Daily News 30 Oct. 10/4 Cook-general and Young Housemaid wanted.

1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 45/1 A cook-general is expected to undertake a certain amount of general housework.

2004 J. Feather Bachelor List v. 78 Think of the cook-generals, the maids-of-all-work, who rise at six and don't see their beds until midnight. Ill-fed, overworked, underpaid, with two hours off a week.

cook's mate n. (also cook mate) the deputy or assistant of a ship's cook.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > sailors involved in specific duties or activities > [noun] > ship's cooks and assistants

shifter1704

sea-cook1707

doctor1803

slushy1859

cook's mate1865

potwalloper1890

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > ship's cook > assistant

shifter1704

cook's mate1865

1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 15 Euphues..neyther coulde comforte himselfe nor durst aske counsel of his friend, suspecting..that Philautus was corriuall with him, and cookemate with Lucilla.

1640 A. S. Terrible Sea-fight sig. C^v Amongst the dead were divers of our Officers; as namely, the upper Pilot, high boats-man, the Cooke, the Cookes mate, Gunners mate, one or two Quarter masters.

1710 London Gaz. No. 4649/4 [He] has been at Sea some time in the Queen's Service as Cook's Mate.

1765 M. Mackenzie in Philos. Trans. 1764 (Royal Soc.) 54 80 Cooks and cooks mates, who are always near the fire, suffer more by the plague, than any other set of people.

1865 Calcutta Rev. 41 327 A cook-mate on board a Dutch man-of-war.

2016 L. Collingham & S. Husain Around India's First Table v. 118 Desai Ram, who began his career as a cook's mate in 1958, recalled that it was equipped with one large underground tandoor and two small tandoors.

† cook-serving adj. Obsolete rare designating a person employed to assist a cook.Apparently an isolated usage.

ΚΠ

1843 Peter Parley's Ann. 91 Lascaris disguised himself as a cook-serving man, and got himself engaged by the head cook.

C2.

cook's kettle n. (also cook kettle) originally Nautical; U.S. in later use (now chiefly historical). a (large) metal cooking pot.

ΚΠ

1807 Hampshire Tel. 30 Mar. [In the inventory of a ship for sale.] One cast iron stove in the Forecastle, 2 provision tubs, cook's kettle, and frying pan.

1863 ‘E. Kirke’ Southern Friends xxi. 215 A large iron pot..serving for both washtub and cook-kettle.

1918 J. R. McDill Lessons from Enemy 34 The cook kettle [sc. of an army field kitchen] holds 200 liters, the coffee tank 70 liters.

2004 M. E. Snodgrass Encycl. Kitchen Hist. 661 Removal of the clay exterior [of a mold] left a useful vessel, such as the three-legged cook's kettle with extended handles.

cook's knife n. (also cook-knife) a kitchen knife, esp. (in early use) a large, heavy one; a knife of a type used by a cook or chef.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > [noun] > knife

dressing knife1362

trencher-knife1392

bread knife1432

kitchen knife1433

dresser knifea1450

carving-knifea1475

sticking knife1495

chipper1508

chipping knife1526

butcher's knife1557

striking knife1578

mincing knife1586

cook's knife1599

oyster knife1637

randing knife1725

stick knife1819

chopping-knife1837

carver1839

butch knife1845

fish-carver1855

fruit-knife1855

rimmer1876

throating knife1879

steak knife1895

paring knife1908

1599 J. Minsheu Percyvall's Dict. Spanish & Eng. 161/3 Machéte, a great knife that the pesants and olde men vse in Spaine to weare at their girdles like a butchers knife, or a cookes knife.

1649 C. Hoole Easie Entrance Lat. Tongue 257/1 A cook-knife, culter divisórius.

1750 Daily Advertiser 25 Apr. All the Stock in Trade of the said Shop; consisting of various sorts of Table, Desert, and Cooks Knives.

1868 M. Jewry Warne's Model Cookery 30/3 2 cook's knives.

1939 J. Cary Mister Johnson 88 Sozy's cook's knife, a black-handled French knife with a sharp point.

2018 Gold Coast (Austral.) Eye (Nexis) 13 Oct. 13 Make deep cuts all over the cabbage with a large cook's knife, rub with olive oil and season generously.

cook's Latin n. somewhat rare (now historical) informal, domestic, or rudimentary Latin; cf. kitchen-Latin n. at kitchen n.¹ Compounds 9b.

ΚΠ

1681 W. Robertson Phraseologia Generalis 387/1 He is a Master of Cooks Latine.

1876 J. Thomson tr. J.-C. Davillier Spain xvi. 361 The priest spoke Latin like a sacristan, while that of the girl could hardly even be called cook's Latin.

1998 A. Miller Casanova ix. 47 Charpillon would be as little able to read it, this marriage of cook's Latin and low German [i.e. English], as he was himself.

Derivatives

cook-like adj. and adv. (a) adj. resembling a cook; resembling that of or done by a cook; (b) adv. in the manner of a cook (now rare).

ΚΠ

1581 W. Fulke Reioynder Bristows Replie 418 As truly as his [sc. Christ's] flesh was rosted, so truely it is eaten: but we acknowledge no cooklike rosting but a mystical preparation.

1683 E. Hickeringill Test or Tryal of Goodness & Value of Spiritual-Courts ii. 4 I..will Lard my discourse, where I list. And though I have not the skill to do it Cook-like, I hope, not Slovenly, Though 'tis but to make it go the more merrily down.

1793 ‘P. Pindar’ Poet. Epist. to Pope 3 A cook-like Dame, who understands place-carving, and saves such worthy families from starving.

1821 T. Hood Cook's Oracle in Wks. (1862) I. 25 The Doctor appears to have written his work upon the back of a dripping-pan, with the point of his spit, so very cooklike does he dish up his remarks.

1924 P. G. Wodehouse Ukridge ii. 32 The little crowd..consisted of five women of cooklike aspect, four nursemaids, [etc.].

2001 B. Ehrenreich Nickel & Dimed (2002) ii. 81 She already has the nanny, a cooklike person, and a crew of men doing..construction.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

cookn.²

Brit.

/kʊk/, U.S.

/kʊk/

Origin: Of uncertain origin. Probably a borrowing from Cornish. Etymon: Cornish kôg.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Probably < Cornish kôg cuckoo (1707 or earlier; cognate with Welsh cog , ultimately of imitative origin: see discussion at cuckoo n.), perhaps so called from a perceived resemblance between its striped markings and those of the cuckoo. Influenced in form by folk-etymological association with cook n.¹ and cook v.¹ (compare quot. a1705 at main sense). Compare later rock cook n.An alternative explanation of the semantic motivation is given by W. B. Lockwood ( Zeitschrift f. Anglistik u. Amerikanistik 13 (1965) 266-8), who suggests association of the predominantly blue colour of the fish with the colour of bluebells (Cornish bleujenn an gog , literally ‘cuckoo flower’). However, this name for the bluebell is a modern (20th-cent.) Cornish formation by R. M. Nance, inferred from English regional (Cornwall) cuckoo harebell, bluebell (see cuckoo n. 5); the original Cornish name for the flower is unknown. Earlier currency of the word is probably shown by the first element of cook fish n. (see discussion at that entry).

The cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus, a marine fish of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean; spec. the brightly-coloured male which is yellow-orange with blue and purple markings. Now rare.The female cuckoo wrasse was previously called the red wrasse.Now only in cook wrasse and rock cook: see cook wrasse n., rock cook n.

ΚΠ

a1705 J. Ray Synopsis Avium & Piscium (1713) ii. 163 Cook (i.e. Coquus) Cornubiensium... Dorso est purpureo indico, ventre flavescente.

1769 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) III. iv. 210 (heading) The cook... This species, Mr. Jago says, is sometimes taken in great plenty on the Cornish coasts... The back is purple and dark blue; the belly yellow.

1877 Field 13 Oct. 413/1 The most gorgeously arrayed representative of the whole family, the cuckoo wrass—or, as he is best known in the island [sc. Jersey], the ‘cook’—(Labrus mixtus).

Compounds

† cook cunner n. (also cook conner) Obsolete the (male) cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus.

ΚΠ

1847 Zoologist 5 1610 Cook Conner, L[abrus] variegatus. Everywhere common. The colour, especially the blue, varies from a deep, to a very light tint.

1891 Rep. Comm. Fish & Fisheries 1887 XV. App. 611 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (50th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Misc. Doc. 133) VIII Labrus bimaculatus. (Cook-wrasse; Cook-cunner; Red Wrasse.)

1925 Proc. Leeds Philos. & Lit. Soc. (Lit. & Hist. Section) Oct. 39 In English, the male of the labrus mixtus Fries and Ekström is called cook conner, cook cunner, cook fish, cook wrasse.

cook wrasse n. now rare the (male) cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > suborder Labrioidei (wrasse) > [noun] > family Labridae > genus Labrus > labrus mixtus (red wrasse)

cook wrasse1803

red wrasse?a1808

cook fish1888

1803 G. Shaw Gen. Zool. IV. ii. 503 Cook Labrus... Cook Wrasse.

1859 J. Richardson Yarrell's Hist. Brit. Fishes (ed. 3) I. 495 The Red Wrasse..was ascertained by Fries to be the female of the Cook Wrasse.

1954 M. Kennedy Sea Angler's Fishes vi. 172 Cook wrasse, merrinroe, livery fish or livery servant, striped wrasse, red wrasse, three-spotted wrasse (female).

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

cookv.¹

Brit.

/kʊk/, U.S.

/kʊk/

Forms: see cook n.¹; also late Middle English cock, 1600s coque.

Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: cook n.¹

Etymology: < cook n.¹Compare Old Frisian kokia (West Frisian kôkje , (also) koaitsje ), Middle Dutch cōken (Dutch koken ), Middle Low German kōken , Old High German kochōn (Middle High German kochen , German kochen ), and also ( < Middle Low German) Old Swedish koka (Swedish koka ), Old Danish koke (Danish koge ), all ultimately reflecting a borrowing < classical Latin coquere (see cook n.¹). Reflexes of classical Latin coquere are shown by Old French, Middle French, French cuire (c881), Old Occitan, Occitan còser (a1126 as cozer ), Spanish cocer (a1250), Portuguese cozer (13th cent.), Italian cuocere (c1260). Compare also Old English gecōcsod (past participle) fried, gecōcnod (past participial adjective) seasoned with spices, cōcnung (noun) article of cooked food, perhaps a cake, and also the first element of cōcor-panne frying pan, cōcor-mete some kind of cooked food. The formation (and in some cases the precise meaning) of these words is unclear; they are usually regarded as derivatives of cōc cook n.¹, but despite their formal and semantic similarity they may in fact be unrelated (see further L-G. Hallander Old English Verbs in -sian (1966) 136–43, who suggests that they may ultimately be < the same Germanic base as cake n.).

I. Senses relating to the heating of food or other substances.

a. intransitive. To prepare food, a dish, or a meal, typically by combining and heating the ingredients; to act as a cook; to practise cookery. Also with for, specifying the person, household, etc., for whom the food is prepared. Cf. bake v. 1b.Somewhat rare before the 19th cent.In quots. c1400² and 1662 in figurative context.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > undergo cooking [verb (intransitive)] > perform cooking

cookc1400

kitchen1842

plain cooka1845

c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xvi. l. 60 Thenne cam contrition þat hadde coked for hem alle.

c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 150 Prestis..schulden travel night and day to coke for mennis gostly fode.

1662 Duchess of Newcastle Playes Written sig. Iiiiiiii3^v For as French Cooks are accounted the best for corporal meats, so the Greeks and Latins for poetical Meats, but I am neither a Greek nor a Latin Cook; I cannot dress, or cook after the Fashions or Phancies.

?1795 H. More Two Wealthy Farmers: Pt. I 11 They asked her scornfully ‘whether she had sent them to Boarding School to learn to cook; and added that they supposed she would expect them next to make puddings for the hay-makers’.

1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 150 They did not venture to make a fire and cook, it is true.

1881 Queen's Regul. for Army xvii. ⁋86 The most competent man is to be selected to cook for the whole of the troops on board.

1941 S. Cloete Hill of Doves (1969) vii. 101 Everyone was cooking when Dirk got back.

1985 J. Wyndham Love Lessons (1986) iii. 92 He just shacked up with me because it was cosy and I cooked for him, and also he hates being alone.

2015 Prospect Aug. 75/2 I love to cook; I love to eat.

b. transitive. To prepare (food) by combining and heating the ingredients; to make (a dish or meal) in this way.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook [verb (transitive)]

cook1596

concoct1607

to cook up1654

1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 94 Thay kuik it verie commodiouslie vpon the fyre.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. vi. 39 There is cold meat i' th' Caue, we'l brouz on that Whil'st what we haue kill'd, be Cook'd .

1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 52 First I will tel you how you shall catch such a Chub as this was; & then how to cook him.

1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere II. i. xvii. 198 Bread-fruit is also cooked in an oven of the same kind.

a1822 P. B. Shelley Cyclops in Posthumous Poems (1824) 338 Well, is the dinner fitly cooked and laid?

1852 G. C. Furber Ike McCandliss 43/1 Andrew..had been..busy making up more pie crust, while the others were out back, busy cooking the pies.

1925 Amer. Mercury Feb. 184/2 He..cooked his own supper and then crawled into his lonely bed.

1942 C. Spry Come into Garden, Cook xi. 137 Cook the sliced vegetables first in a little fat.

2014 Crave Mar. 20/3 My mother cooked a lot of comfort food.

2017 M. McCabe Two Closes & Referendum iii. 43 I don't want to cook anything. I want to take a ready meal out the freezer and stick it in the micro for ten minutes.

c. intransitive. Of food: to undergo cooking, to be cooked.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > undergo cooking [verb (intransitive)]

cooka1771

a1771 S. Parkinson Jrnl. Voy. South Seas (1773) 180 Provisions..are hawked about the streets, ready cooked, or cooking.

1857 S. Osborn Quedah xx. 274 Whilst the rice was cooking, I thought I might as well run up and see the town.

1891 Leisure Hour Dec. 144/1 Stew, stirring well, till the pulp cooks to a marmalade.

1948 Good Housek. Cookery Bk. 322/1 An alternative method is to divide the cauliflower into florets before cooking—it cooks more evenly in this way.

2015 Daily Mail 23 May 53/1 The food tasted nice and had those lovely chargrill marks where it had cooked on the griddle.

a. transitive. To apply heat to (a person or a thing); to expose to the sun, high temperatures, or a hot environment.

ΚΠ

?1710 J. Swift Let. to Stella 10 Mar. in Wks. (1768) XVII. 137 [I] broke my shin..over a tub of sand... I got home..and went straight to bed, where I have been cooking it with goldbeaters' skin [sc. a wound dressing].

1857 Titan 24 130/2 The kiln that cooks the bricks..is of peculiar contrivance and construction.

1915 Motor Age 28 Oct. 33/3 Out on the desert the sun was cooking us, until I almost fancied I could feel my neck frying.

2014 Sunday Times (Nexis) 7 Dec. 5 In total 2,500 tons of equipment..was disposed of including vehicles, mortars, guns and knives as well as bullets, which were cooked in a furnace..until they exploded.

b. intransitive. To be or become uncomfortably hot through prolonged exposure to the sun, high temperatures, or a hot environment.Cf. bake v. 7, roast v. 3b.

ΚΠ

1875 C. Garvice Maurice Durant II. iv. 62 The stranger inclined his head,..seating himself on the little wooden table that was cooking in the sun.

1992 USA Today (Nexis) 7 July (Life section) 5 d The batsuit is..like wearing three wet suits on top of each other... ‘It feels like you're cooking in there,’ says..[a] Magic Mountain Batman.

2015 Kwani? 8 394 By 11 a.m. things are cooking inside the car and when I open the doors the car breathes out warm stuffy air.

a. transitive. To prepare (a drug, esp. opium or heroin) for immediate use by heating it over a flame. Also intransitive.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (transitive)] > prepare opium

cook1852

to cook up1894

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (intransitive)] > prepare opium

cook1916

1852 in Papers relating to Opium Question (1870) App. v. 300 In the process of cooking opium, about a fourth of the quantity is evaporated and wasted.

1876 G. W. Strettell Ficus Elastica in Burma Proper iv. 89 They were busy cooking opium in a small brass spoon.

1916 T. Burke Limehouse Nights (1917) 260 Lois..began to ‘cook’ for her boy... She..dug out the treacly hop..and held it against the flame.

1997 N. Blincoe in M. River Allnighter 31 Jimmy was looking forward to what a little heroin could do to his de-toxed system... He even offered to brew the tea while they cooked the gear.

2008 S. Choi Person of Interest xxi. 247 One girl had taught Mark to cook heroin and then watched him turn blue on her living-room floor.

b. transitive. To manufacture (a drug, originally opium) for sale; (in later use) spec. to produce (an illegal drug, esp. methamphetamine) by chemical means.rare before the late 20th cent.

ΚΠ

1892 Rev. of Rev. June 604/1 Crude opium is not imported in such a proportion as formerly, because the heavy duties make it impossible to manufacture or ‘cook’ the product in this country and compete with the foreign prepared variety.

1985 San Diego Union Tribune (Nexis) 18 Nov. a9 ‘The outrageous profits far outweigh any risks.’.. The chemist was speaking from experience, having had two labs explode while cooking crystal meth.

1999 Independent on Sunday 25 July 14/5 The Yardies..were never a mafia run by powerful ‘dons’. Instead.., small groups would import small amounts of cocaine, ‘cook’ it into crack and sell it on the streets.

2015 S. W. Albert Bittersweet 20 [The panel van's] former owner was a hippie artist..who was arrested for cooking crystal meth.

4. transitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To make radioactive or transform by exposure to radiation; (also) to synthesize (an element, isotope, etc.) by means of a nuclear reaction. Also intransitive: to undergo such a process.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > making radioactive > become radioactive [verb (intransitive)]

cook1950

the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > making radioactive > make radioactive [verb (transitive)]

activate1924

radioactivate1949

cook1950

1950 Time 27 Feb. 67/1 Others [sc. isotopes] are formed in aluminum cans of raw material ‘cooked’ by the pile's neutrons.

1959 C. Hodder-Williams Chain Reaction xiii. 157 If the thing won't cook if they're [sc. the control rods are] raised about three quarters of the way out, you can reckon that there's something cockeyed somewhere.

1988 J. D. Barrow & F. J. Tipler Anthropic Cosmological Princ. i. 18 The nuclei of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus of which we are made, are cooked from the light primordial nuclei of hydrogen and helium by nuclear reactions in stellar interiors.

1991 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Aug. (O.C. section) 36/3 The admiral of an atomic submarine tries to stop the Van Allen radiation belt from cooking Earth.

1998 E. Hecht Physics: Algebra/Trig (ed. 2) xxx. 1083 After cooking for a few months, intensely radioactive slugs of U-238 were taken out of the reactor.

II. Figurative senses.

5. transitive. To prepare, develop, or elaborate (something); to devise, concoct. In later use frequently with somewhat negative connotations, especially of deception or fabrication. Cf. to cook up 2 at Phrasal verbs, which is now more common.Early examples show the word used in figurative contexts with allusion to the preparation of food (cf. sense 1b).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > contrive, devise, or invent [verb (transitive)]

findeOE

conceive1340

seek1340

brewc1386

divine1393

to find outc1405

to search outc1425

to find up?c1430

forgec1430

upfindc1440

commentc1450

to dream out1533

inventa1538

father1548

spina1575

coin1580

conceit1591

mint1593

spawn1594

cook1599

infantize1619

fabulize1633

notionate1645

to make upc1650

to spin outa1651

to cook up1655

to strike out1735

mother1788

to think up1855

to noodle out1950

gin1980

1599 S. Gardiner Portraitur of Prodigal Sonne iii. xi. 264 The truth of Gods word is full of sucke and sappe, it is meate that may be rellished without curious cooking it.

a1640 W. Fenner Christs Alarm (1646) 149 As Rebeccah cookt the Venison, but Isaac gave the blessing. So we may cooke the Word for you, but the blessing is in Christs hands.

1651 T. L. To Church of Rome in Πολύπενϑεος Θρηνωδία 19 How may he cook or spice his Commandements, to have them approved of your mouths?

1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. xii. 315 I got that job cookit.

1859 M. Napier Mem. Life Visct. Dundee I. ii. 353 Lauderdale..was cooked into such a loyalist..by eleven years of durance in the Tower.

1889 G. Allen Tents of Shem I. viii. 145 To inspect the sketch he was busily cooking.

1925 Variety 17 June 25/4 Silvera and Messell have cooked a story that he murdered Walford.

2011 P. McLain Paris Wife vi. 41 In the middle of January, my friend Leticia Parker and I cooked a plan to get me there.

6. transitive. colloquial. To alter (something) in a dishonest, underhand, or surreptitious manner; to tamper with, to doctor; to falsify.See also to cook the books at Phrases 1.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > false assertion > assert falsely [verb (transitive)] > devise unscrupulously

cook1636

sham1679

to cook up1686

to trump upa1774

fake1810

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, cheat, dupe [verb (transitive)] > alter or manipulate something for the purpose of deception

cook1636

doctor1750

fake1819

rig1826

ready2004

1636 Earl of Strafford Let. 25 July (1739) II. 16 The Proof was once clear, however they have cook'd it since.

1763 North Briton 19 July 56 The military English shall be considered..when all the Scots are provided for. But..is not the army already surcharged with them? The army list (cooked as it is) can best determine that point.

1865 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. (ed. 6) I. i. ix. §2 172 These accounts, even if cooked, still exercise some check.

1872 J. A. H. Murray in Complaynt Scotl. Introd. p. cxvii The editor was attacked by..Pinkerton, for not printing the text ‘as a classic’, i.e. cooking the spelling, &c., as he himself would have done.

1878 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. III. xx. 410 Occasionally the sealers may have quietly ‘cooked’ the return.

1972 Harper's Mag. Mar. 88/3 With respect to some of the figures, she appears to have been cooking her data.

2010 F. M. Frohock Beyond 136 He had been an executive in a bank that was robbed by two masked men. It happened to be a bank in which he was quietly stealing money by cooking the accounts.

7. transitive. slang. To inflict great and irretrievable damage on (a person or thing); to ruin. Cf. to cook one's goose at goose n. 1d.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to

undoc950

shendOE

forfarea1000

endc1000

to do awayOE

aquenchc1175

slayc1175

stathea1200

tinea1300

to-spilla1300

batec1300

bleschea1325

honisha1325

leesea1325

wastec1325

stanch1338

corrumpa1340

destroy1340

to put awayc1350

dissolvec1374

supplanta1382

to-shend1382

aneantizec1384

avoidc1384

to put outa1398

beshenda1400

swelta1400

amortizec1405

distract1413

consumec1425

shelfc1425

abroge1427

downthringc1430

kill1435

poisonc1450

defeat1474

perish1509

to blow away1523

abrogatea1529

to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529

dash?1529

to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531

put in the pot1531

wipea1538

extermine1539

fatec1540

peppera1550

disappoint1563

to put (also set) beside the saddle1563

to cut the throat of1565

to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568

to make a hand of (also on, with)1569

demolish1570

to break the neck of1576

to make shipwreck of1577

spoil1578

to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579

cipher1589

ruinate1590

to cut off by the shins1592

shipwreck1599

exterminate1605

finish1611

damnify1612

ravel1614

braina1616

stagger1629

unrivet1630

consummate1634

pulverizea1640

baffle1649

devil1652

to blow up1660

feague1668

shatter1683

cook1708

to die away1748

to prove fatal (to)1759

to knock up1764

to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834

to put the kibosh on1834

to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835

kibosh1841

to chaw up1843

cooper1851

to jack up1870

scuttle1888

to bugger up1891

jigger1895

torpedo1895

on the fritz1900

to put paid to1901

rot1908

down and out1916

scuppera1918

to put the skids under1918

stonker1919

liquidate1924

to screw up1933

cruel1934

to dig the grave of1934

pox1935

blow1936

to hit for six1937

to piss up1937

to dust off1938

zap1976

the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > destroy or ruin a person

spillc950

amarOE

smitelOE

aspillc1175

mischievec1325

to bid (something) misadventurec1330

mara1375

fordoc1380

undo1390

wrack1564

to make roast meat of (also for)1565

wrake1567

wreck1590

speed1594

feeze1609

to do a person's business1667

cook1708

to settle a person's hash1795

diddle1806

to fix1836

raddle1951

1708 Rehearsal 11 Aug. 2/1 Then he tells you how they Cook'd this King of their own making.

1836 Cornwall Chron. (Launceston, Austral.) 18 June With extra costs and extra fees These vile attorneys always cook you.

1861 in H. Mayhew London Labour (new ed.) III. 350/2 When..the cabs that carry four, come in, they cooked the hackney-coachmen in no time.

1900 N.Z. Mail 5 Apr. 24/1 According to Parisinana, in the ‘Bulletin’, the Comedie was becoming played out. He says: Three things, within the last twenty years, have been enough to ‘cook’ it: the withdrawal of Bernhardt, that of Coquelin, and the production of Cyrano de Bergerac at another theatre.

2013 D. M. Cataneo Eggplant Alley xxv. 215 In any other sport, the two stupid plays would have cooked him for good.

8. transitive. Chess. To find an alternative solution to (a problem); (of a move, solution, etc.) to spoil (a problem) by differing from the intended solution. Cf. cook n.¹ 5.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [verb (transitive)] > tactics

to shut up1474

to take upc1475

neck1597

catch1674

to discover check1688

attack1735

retreat1744

fork1745

pin1745

retake1750

guard1761

interpose1761

castle1764

retract1777

to take (a pawn) en passant1818

capture1820

decline1847

cook1851

undouble1868

unpin1878

counter1890

fidate1910

sacrifice1915

fianchetto1927

1851 Chess Player 16 Aug. 40 Mr. Alexander's collection of two thousand problems contains many faulty positions, and we shall now and then cook some of them, which may amuse you and many of our readers.

1880 Chess-monthly Sept. 32 Your second solution of No. 110—1 P t. P—is, unfortunately, right, and cooks the problem.

1911 Amer. Chess Bull Aug. 192 Mr. J. C. J. Wainwright ‘Cooks’ the problem by 1 QB8ch, followed by QB4ch!

1959 Chess Life 5 Nov. 7/3 A fine work gone wrong. Intention 1. Q-B3 waiting, with excellent play. Cooked by 1. NxP. Many solvers found both cook and intended solution.

1970 Chess Life & Rev. Jan. 50/1 Mr. Arnold cooks it by 10... Larry Evans rightly confirms the cook.

9. intransitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To happen, to be going on; to be under way. Usually in the progressive, esp. in what's cooking?: ‘what's going on?’, ‘what's happening?’.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)]

becomec888

i-tidec888

falleOE

ywortheOE

i-limp975

belimpOE

i-timeOE

worthOE

tidea1131

goa1200

arearc1275

syec1275

betide1297

fere1297

risea1350

to come aboutc1350

overcomea1382

passa1393

comea1400

to come in (also to, on, etc.) placea1400

eschew?a1400

chevec1400

shapec1400

hold1462

to come (also go) to pass1481

proceed?1518

occura1522

bechance1527

overpass1530

sorta1535

succeed1537

adventurec1540

to fall toc1540

success1545

to fall forth1569

fadge1573

beword?1577

to fall in1578

happen1580

event1590

arrive1600

offer1601

grow1614

fudge1615

incur1626

evene1654

obvene1654

to take place1770

transpire1775

to go on1873

to show up1879

materialize1885

break1914

cook1932

to go down1946

the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [phrase] > what's happening?

what's cooking?1932

gwan1945

1932 Cambridge (Mass.) Sentinel 7 May 8/3 What's cooking, ladies? A plot against the kind and loving Jeffersonian Democrats?

1942 R. Chandler High Window 70 It stopped at six, I got out, and the old man leaned out of the car to spit and said in a dull voice: ‘What's cookin'?’

1942 Washington Post 18 Oct. l8/2 Plenty cookin' these weeks, chillun. To wit: Sonny Dunham at the Roosevelt, [etc.].

1943 Boys' Life July 22/4 The line crews watched and speculated. Something big was cooking; something big was going to break.

1973 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 5 July a5/4 There is a federal regulation requiring planes to be at least 1000 feet over cities. I often see our small Albuquerque police plane at lower altitudes over the city. What cooks?

1996 A. Ghosh Calcutta Chromosome (1997) xv. 105 They can't exactly walk up to him and say, ‘Hey there, Ron, what's cooking?’

10. slang (originally U.S.). Cf. to cook with gas at Phrases 3.

a. intransitive. Of a band, musician, or singer: to perform with excitement, inspiration, or verve.Originally and frequently in the context of jazz music.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform music [verb (intransitive)] > specific style or technique > in jazz

go1926

ride1929

swing1931

tear1932

to play (it) straight1933

groove1935

riff1935

give1936

jumpc1938

to beat it out1945

walk1951

cook1954

move1955

wail1955

stretch1961

1954 Courier (Pittsburgh) 6 Feb. (City ed.) 19/3 She [sc. Ann Nichols] knows we'll all be lampin' her, and we know that she'll be cookin'!

1968 Crescendo June 12/2 The band used to get up on the bandstand and really cook.

1989 B. Spitz Dylan xvii. 307 The band really cooked, but it was obvious they were losing the battle to an unruly audience.

2010 J. Kaplan Frank xxxiv. 616 The second Frank sang, ‘got the string around my fing-er’, the brass kicked—BANG!—and the band was cooking.

b. intransitive. More generally (of a person or thing): to act or proceed with vigour or enthusiasm; to perform very well.

ΚΠ

1971 E. Sanders Family ii. 61 Manson was really cooking in his Jesus image—kissing feet and granting immortality as never before.

1984 Runner Oct. 102/2 Her time was quite fast for a heat... ‘She's cooking,’ said..the American women's coach.

1992 City Limits 2 July 38/1 Dress very smart and arrive around midnight—when it starts to cook.

2010 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 1 July e2 The best time to have raised the minimum wage would have been a couple of years ago when the economy was cooking.

Phrases

P1. to cook the books: to fraudulently alter account books or other financial records; (also later in extended use) to alter any factual evidence in order to deceive or to suit a particular purpose. See sense 6.

ΚΠ

1850 Morning Chron. 22 Jan. 3/1 The mode which Stratton adopted to mystify the accounts, and to ‘cook’ the books of the bank,..was only to be discovered by the closest investigation.

1924 D. Hammett Big Bk. of Continental Op (2017) 205/2 Your husband had been cooking the books for some time, and got into his partner for something like $200,000 before Ogburn got wise to it.

2003 Independent 4 Dec. (Review section) 3/3 There is no scientific debate in which the White House has cooked the books more than that of global warming. The Bush administration has altered, suppressed or attempted to discredit close to a dozen major reports on the subject.

P2. Originally North American. to cook up a storm: to cause a fuss or commotion; (also) to generate excitement, to make an impact.In quot. 1924 with reference to a literal storm generated by particular weather conditions.

ΚΠ

1924 Brazil (Indiana) Daily Times 22 Sept. 1/3 The hot wave..cooked up a severe storm which swept down on us Sunday evening.]

1959 Moline (Illinois) Daily Disp. 3 Sept. 19/4 What do you think of a boy who gets mad about little things, and won't explain why he's cooked up a storm?

2018 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 22 Sept. (Culture section) e6 Rewind to the early '90s and British rock band the Charlatans were cooking up a storm with their infectious blend of old soul, dance beats, alt-rock guitars and plaintive vocals.

P3. slang (originally U.S.). to cook with gas: to do something very well, to succeed; to be on the right path. Also similarly to cook with electricity, to cook with radar, to cook on the front burner, etc. Usually in the progressive, e.g. you're cooking with gas.

ΚΠ

1940 Variety 18 Sept. 30/3 New musical show ‘Ray Bolger's Dancing School’, was waxed for agency auditioning last week. One of the tunes from the series, ‘Now You're Cooking with Gas’, has already been acquired for publication by BMI.

1941 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 23 Feb. (Comics section) Now you're cookin' with electricity!

1942 Time 27 Apr. 84/3 Many a student..figured that..Thurman Arnold was cooking with gas.

1943 N.Y. Times 9 May ii. 5/4 Brother, when you are cooking with both burners the fiddle is out.

1946 F. Wakeman Hucksters (1947) xv. 201 Vic said, ‘Good boy, Georgie. Now you're cooking with radar.’

1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed xi. 77 Those Mounties cook with gas. With gas, brother—they're murder.

1973 Press-Courier (Oxnard, Calif.) 13 Mar. 21 Emverzo then got cooking on the front burner with a pair of direct hits from 20 to 24 feet out.

2014 Hampstead & Highgate Express (Nexis) 2 Jan. Oh, oh that's marvellous. Now we're really getting somewhere. Now we're cooking with gas.

P4. to cook a person's goose: see goose n. 1d.

Phrasal verbs

With adverbs in specialized senses. to cook down

transitive. To bring (liquid or partially liquid food) to a smaller volume, and hence to a greater concentration or a thicker consistency, usually by boiling; to reduce by cooking.

ΚΠ

1850 Ohio Cultivator 1 Jan. 14/2 If the fruit was juicy and easily cooked, the syrup would probably need cooking down..till it had become quite thick.

1925 H. B. Dodd & J. L. Dodd Bohemian Eats San Francisco One [dessert] that is particularly liked is called ‘membrillo’, made of the quince, cooked down into a heavy syrup and molded into blocks.

2015 A. Duclos Plantiful Table 216/2 Slowly cook the onions down until they're completely translucent, about 25 minutes.

to cook off

Military.

intransitive. Of ammunition or explosives: to detonate spontaneously as a result of overheating. Cf. cook-off n. 2.

ΚΠ

1945 Tech Engin. News Mar. 208/1 The mechanical contour is an additional safeguard which prevents guns from pointing at personnel on the plane. This is done because cartridges sometimes ‘cook off’ in a hot barrel.

1995 J. Winton Signals from Falklands 91 Two Seacat missiles and probably some other explosives cooked off, and the blast..blew the door off on the upper deck.

2016 R. F. Fischer Combat Bandsman v. 114 After five hours of nonstop detonations the last of the ammunition at the dump finally cooked off.

to cook out

1. transitive. To remove (something) by cooking or heating; also figurative.

ΚΠ

1843 Farmer's Monthly Visitor 31 July 102/1 The butter.., the flavor of which is so bad as to render it entirely unfit for the table, is purchased by bakers, who manage to cook out the bad qualities.

1882 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 23 May 1581/1 The process of purifying the wood, consisting in cooking out the resinous matters..by steam.

1990 Countryside Winter 52/2 Donnell uses the cold method of soap making. She brings all the ingredients to a temperature warm enough to pasteurize the milk and to kill any possible bacteria, but cool enough to avoid cooking out the glycerin.

2003 Independent 27 Jan. i. 3/3 ‘That [worm] can really cook out the damage!’ wrote Matt, a systems administrator, on the programmers' site Slashdot.

2. intransitive. To prepare a meal by cooking food outdoors, typically on a barbecue or over a campfire. Cf. cookout n.Earliest as the gerund or verbal noun.

ΚΠ

1921 E. Ferber Girls in Woman's Home Compan. Sept. 81/2 Lottie was expert at what she called ‘cooking out’. She could build a three-section fire with incredibly little fuel and only one match.

1946 S. Plath Let. 8 July (2017) I. 57 Our unit cooked out on the beach... The other half had breakfast in the hall.

2011 Frederick (Maryland) News-Post 29 Jan. d5/2 For those who love to cook out, having an outdoor kitchen may be ideal.

to cook up

a. transitive. To prepare (food for a meal) by combining and heating the ingredients; to prepare (a cooked meal).

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook [verb (transitive)]

cook1596

concoct1607

to cook up1654

1654 J. Speed in E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot sig. **^v Don's cook'd up according to the Lawes Of his owne Country Feasts, lesse meat then sauce.

1680 Sir T. Browne Let. 7 July in Wks. (1852) III. 468 I know no other animal wherein the rectum is cooked up.

1803 ‘C. Caustic’ Terrible Tractoration (ed. 2) iii. 122 Who cook up most delicious farings From cheese rinds.

1990 P. Auster Music of Chance v. 112 He asked Louise to cook up some breakfast for them.

2013 E. Laybourne Sky on Fire xi. 102 I was so hungry, we just cooked up some franks and beans.

b. transitive. To prepare (a drug, esp. opium or heroin) for immediate use by heating it over a flame; = sense 3a.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (transitive)] > prepare opium

cook1852

to cook up1894

1894 G. Litton in Proc. Royal Comm. Opium V. App. XXVI. 224/1 in Parl. Papers (C.7473) LXII. 531 The ‘second opium’ or ‘opium excrement’..is a preparation cooked up from the refuse left in the opium pipe.

1920 F. Williams Hop-Heads 17 Dawson Sue lost no time in ‘cooking up a shot’ for her company.

1982 U.S. News & World Rep. (Nexis) 27 Dec. 60 I was cooking up ‘hits’ every 30 minutes.

2010 J. McGregor Even Dogs (2011) iii. 79 Getting a bag and then finding somewhere to go to cook it up in a spoon and dig it into your arm or your leg or that mighty old femoral vein down in between your thighs.

2. transitive. To prepare, develop, or elaborate (something); to devise, concoct. In later use frequently with somewhat negative connotations, especially of deception or fabrication. Cf. sense 5.Early examples show the word used in figurative contexts with allusion to the preparation of food (cf. sense 1b).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > contrive, devise, or invent [verb (transitive)]

findeOE

conceive1340

seek1340

brewc1386

divine1393

to find outc1405

to search outc1425

to find up?c1430

forgec1430

upfindc1440

commentc1450

to dream out1533

inventa1538

father1548

spina1575

coin1580

conceit1591

mint1593

spawn1594

cook1599

infantize1619

fabulize1633

notionate1645

to make upc1650

to spin outa1651

to cook up1655

to strike out1735

mother1788

to think up1855

to noodle out1950

gin1980

1655 J. Sergeant Schism Dis-arm'd 11 All the substantial part being already confuted an hundred times over, and only the cooking it up changed.

1684 Tryal L. Braddon & H. Speke 29 It is not taken upon Oath before any Magistrate, but cooked up to amuse the Country.

1751 J. Tasker Sufficient Reasons Relig., Conscientious & Peaceable Separation Church of Eng. 13 The reasons he has cook'd up for us..perhaps may serve him for starting-holes, when he is press'd.

1787 ‘P. Pindar’ Lousiad: Canto II 37 in Lousiad: Canto I (ed. 4) I've cook'd up a Petition.

1820 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 5 Aug. 158 These Addresses are not things cooked up by the lick-spittles of Boroughmongers;..but they come spontaneously from the people.

a1927 D. Hammett Nightmare Town (1999) 208 Tennant reeled off the story he and the girl had cooked up.

1956 Time-Bull. (Van Wert, Ohio) 2 July 4/8 By 1960 we can have an anti-missile missile. That leaves it up to someone to cook up an anti-anti-missile missile.

2007 Daily Tel. 29 June 33/1 Together, they cook up a plan to kill off her husband.

3. transitive. colloquial. To alter (something) in a dishonest, underhand, or surreptitious manner; to tamper with, to doctor; to falsify. Cf. sense 6, which is more common.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)]

nunclea1676

to cook up1686

plant1811

to work off1813

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > false assertion > assert falsely [verb (transitive)] > devise unscrupulously

cook1636

sham1679

to cook up1686

to trump upa1774

fake1810

1686 J. Weldon tr. Leon de Vennes Second Nativity of Jesus i. iv. 38 We are not as some people who Adulterate, or, according to the Greek Translation, Who cook up the word of God.

1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle IV. cvi. 227 Some falsified printed accounts, artfully cooked up, on purpose to mislead and deceive.

1867 Ada Moore's Story III. xii. 122 They had ‘cooked up’ the accounts, as the leading article said, and had finally absconded together.

1987 A. Djoleto Hurricane of Dust xx. 95 The People's Benefit Investigation Squad will probe you and if you are found to be playing tricks or cook up the books you lose the pharmacy to the state.

Compounds

Originally North American. With the sense ‘cooking’.

cook camp n. North American the part of a camp in which the cooking is done; esp. a building serving as kitchen and eating-room; a cookhouse.

ΚΠ

1886 Warren (Pa.) Sunday Mirror 2 May We don't need any curtain on the stage, nor any tables, nor spoons, nor oyster dishes, nor any cook camp attached to the church.

1935 A. Sullivan Great Divide 194 There was..the cook camp with its log annex for supplies and fresh beef.

2010 J. Gordon & J. Baumgardner Party like Rock Star iv. 48/3 Since the kitchen is probably far away, you will need to set up a cook camp nearby.

cook fire n. North American an open fire used for cooking food, typically in a camp; cf. camp-fire n. at camp n.² Compounds 2.

ΚΠ

1852 H. Stansbury Explor. & Surv. Valley Great Salt Lake (U.S. Army: Corps Topogr. Engineers) vii. 148 While engaged in the survey of the Utah Valley, we were no little annoyed by numbers of the latter tribe, who hung around the camp, crowding the cook-fires.

1861 Daily Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 7 June Our Camp is laid out according to United States military regulations... The cook fires are just in rear of the company barracks.

1951 L. Dietz Jeff White xii. 115 Cold and exhausted, he rolled in for the night without bothering to light a cook fire.

2012 Crossville (Tennessee) Chron. (Nexis) 24 May Some river goers..had set up camp for the night, and their cook fires wafted out over the water to us.

cookpot n. a pot used for cooking; a cooking pot.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > cooking vessel or pot > [noun]

pot?c1225

flesh-kit1575

plasma1616

vessel1719

pot-au-feu1792

cookpot1835

cooker1849

hook-pot1867

canaree1895

1835 Nantucket Inquirer 13 May 2/3 The savage..demanded in addition, an iron cook pot, a chest, a trunk, two kegs of powder, and musket and cannon balls.

1884 Internat. Health Exhib. Official Catal. 23/2 A new patent colander saucepan and cook-pot.

1948 H. Halsted How to live in Woods xii. 220 Bring 1 quart of water to a furious boil, in a fairly large cook pot, and trickle in the rice.

2018 Courier Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 29 July 61 Buy some smaller bakeware, frying pans, ceramic cookpots, ramekins and even muffin tins for smaller serve baking.

cook shack n. North American a hut or cabin esp. in a camp, in which food is prepared and often also served and eaten.

ΚΠ

1895 Fort Morgan (Colorado) Times 26 Apr. The pugilist of the ditch camp..went to the camp on Tuesday evening last and broke through the window of the cook shack.

1909 R. A. Wason Happy Hawkins 38 Jabez changed directions for the cook shack.

1957 J. Kerouac On the Road ii. v. 132 Old bum Dean Moriarty.., riding freights, working as a scullion in the railroad cookshacks.

2018 Duluth (Minnesota) News-Tribune (Nexis) 23 Sept. Over in the cook shack a late breakfast was being readied.

cookstove n. U.S. a stove used for cooking; a cooking stove.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [noun]

range1423

buccan1611

fire-range1668

stew-stove1727

screw-range1772

stew-hole1780

cooking stove1796

range stove1803

cooking range1805

cookstove1820

kitchener1829

gas range1853

cooker1860

gas cooker1873

Soyer's stove1878

hay-box1885

blazer1889

machine oven1890

paraffin stove1891

primus1893

electric cooker1894

electric range1894

Yukon stove1898

fireless cooker1904

picnic stove1910

pressure stove1914

Tommy cooker1915

rangette1922

Aga1931

barbecue1931

Rayburn1947

sigri1949

jiko1973

1820 National Advocate (N.Y.) 23 June It [sc. the fire] commenced at Mr. Davis' stable and wood house, from a cook stove.

1853 S. Moodie Life in Clearings 373 I have seen the grandmother in a wealthy family ironing the fine linen, or broiling over the cook-stove.

1913 G. Stratton-Porter Laddie (1917) i. 4 They went to bring wood for the cookstove.

1930 Times Educ. Suppl. 23 Aug. p. i/3 A voyage is dull without tea and life a cheerless blank without a cookstove.

2007 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Jan. 15/3 Traditional cookstoves, fueled by wood and crop waste, emit smoke containing particles.

cook tent n. U.S. a tent in which food is cooked and often also eaten.

ΚΠ

1721 J. Colbatch Observ. Scheme Lately Published ix. 14 For each Cook-Tent, that there be provided two Coppers, of about twenty Gallons each.

1885 E. Custer Boots & Saddles 53 We looked out, to find the cook-tent blown flat to the ground.

1956 H. Gold Man who was not with It (1965) ii. 14 Our cooktent had a pleasant business warmth, too.

2016 Bismarck (N. Dakota) Tribune (Nexis) 16 Dec. a2 We slept in tents, ate in a cook tent, some years it snowed, most years it rained at least once and it was rare when the weather was nice.

cooktop n. originally U.S. (now chiefly North American, Australian, and New Zealand) a cooking unit with hotplates or burners, esp. one built into or on top of a kitchen cabinet.

ΘΚΠ

the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [noun] > part of

hotplate1803

firebox1838

range cock1842

hearth1845

boiling ring1894

griller1895

grill1907

ring1911

cooktop1941

hob1962

back burner1963

splashplate1967

1941 Montgomery Ward Catal. 1941–2 Fall & Winter 802/2 (advt.) Massive Polished Rust-Resisting Cooktop with Hot Blast Feature.

1970 Kitchen & Bath Guide (House & Garden) 100/1 This model has glass ceramic electric cooktop.

2004 Washington Post 14 Oct. (Home ed.) h5/1 The kitchen also has..the electric cooktop and down-draft fan.

cook wagon n. U.S. a wagon fitted with cooking equipment and used as a mobile kitchen, esp. to feed workers on a cattle ranch.

ΚΠ

1865 Index Rep. Comm. Senate U.S. p. iii, in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (38th Congr., 2nd Sess.) IV Amoskeag Manufacturing Company for regimental cook wagons.

1904 S. E. White Blazed Trail Stories ii. x. 182 The ponies, and the cook-wagon, and the cook..had done the alkali for three days.

2017 Tel.-Herald (Dubuque, Iowa) (Nexis) 11 Oct. b6 He and Brenda drove the cook wagon and cooked three meals a day for the Colts Drum & Bugle Corp for nine summers.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

cookv.²

Brit.

/kʊk/, U.S.

/kʊk/, Scottish English

/kuk/

Forms: 1700s– cook, 1800s couk, 1800s–1900s kook.

Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a borrowing from German. Etymon: German kucken.

Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < German kucken to look, peep (1391), apparently an alteration of gucken , in the same sense (14th cent.; of uncertain origin), after Middle Low German kīken (German regional (Low German) kieken : see keek v.). If this etymology is correct, sense 2 (although attested slightly later) would be the primary sense. Compare earlier keek v.

Scottish. rare.

†1. intransitive. To disappear suddenly. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 162 Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays, Wi' bickerin, dancin dazzle; Whyles cooket underneath the braes, Below the spreading hazle.

2. intransitive. To look quickly or steal a glance at something; to peep, peer.

ΚΠ

1821 J. Galt Ayrshire Legatees in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 371/1 The eye of the public, which is of itself sufficiently prone to keek and kook, in every possible way, for a glimpse of a black story.

1937 L. McInnes in Sc. National Dict. (1952) III. 195/1 I tried tae hide behunt a big boady in the sate afront o' me, so's the minister couldna see me, but I nottist him cookan roon every noo an' again tae watch hoo I was gettan on.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

n.¹OE

n.²a1705

v.¹c1400

v.²1786

单词	cook
释义	cookn.¹ Brit. /kʊk/, U.S. /kʊk/ Forms: Old English–Middle English coc, Old English–Middle English kok, Middle English cocus (plural), Middle English cok, Middle English coque, Middle English couke (northern), Middle English cuke (northern and north-east midlands), Middle English cuyke (northern), Middle English koke, Middle English kooke, Middle English–1500s kowke (northern), Middle English–1600s coke, Middle English–1600s cooke, Middle English– cook; English regional (Northumberland) 1800s keuk; Scottish pre-1700 coik, pre-1700 coock, pre-1700 cooke, pre-1700 couke, pre-1700 cowke, pre-1700 cuick, pre-1700 cuk, pre-1700 cuke, pre-1700 cuyk, pre-1700 cwik, pre-1700 koke, pre-1700 kouk, pre-1700 kuik, pre-1700 kuk, pre-1700 kuke, pre-1700 kwik, pre-1700 kwke, pre-1700 1700s– cook, pre-1700 1800s– cuik, 1800s couk, 1800s keuk, 1800s kyook (north-eastern), 1800s kyuck, 1900s kyeuk (north-eastern). Origin: A borrowing from Latin. Etymon: Latin cōcus. Etymology: < post-classical Latin cōcus, variant (see note) of classical Latin coquus , cocus cook < the same base as coquere to cook, bake, boil, to ripen < (with assimilation of consonants) the same Indo-European base as Sanskrit pac- to cook, Old Church Slavonic pešti to bake, fry, Old Russian peči to bake (Russian peč′ ), Lithuanian (with metathesis) kepti to bake, to fry, Albanian pjek to bake, roast, to ripen; a derived form of the present is seen in ancient Greek πέσσειν , (Attic) πέττειν to cook, bake, to ripen. In branch II. < cook v.¹Parallels in other Germanic languages. Compare Old Frisian kok (West Frisian kok ), Old Dutch coc (only as a surname; Middle Dutch coc , Dutch kok ), Old Saxon kok (Middle Low German kok , German regional (Low German) Kock ), Old High German koh (Middle High German koch , German Koch ), and also ( < Middle Low German) Old Swedish kokker (Swedish kock ), Old Danish kok (Danish kok ; > Icelandic kokkur (16th cent.)), all with short stem vowel, reflecting an early borrowing of the Latin word with original short vowel. By contrast, Old English cōc (with long stem vowel) shows a later independent borrowing from Latin at a time after the lengthening of original short vowels in open syllables (i.e. cōcus for earlier cocus ). Romance parallels. Compare Old French, Middle French, French queux (c1100 as cous , oblique case plural), Old Occitan coc (c1150), Catalan coc (1344), Italian cuoco (early 13th cent.). The form of the Latin word. Latin grammarians (of the 4th–6th centuries a.d.) report that the form coquus is earlier than the form cocus . In inscriptions the form cocus is much more common; in manuscripts both forms are widely used. The forms coquos and quoqui , plural (among others) are also attested. Use in names. Earlier currency of sense 1b is probably implied by street names, apparently denoting a street where the premises of tradesmen selling cooked food were located; compare le Cookrow, Norwich (1288; a1272 as Vicus Cocorum), le Cockeslone, Chester (1317), le Cokerowe, Shrewsbury (1325), le Cokesrowe, Chester (1330), le Cokrowe, Lincoln (1336), la Coukerewe, Wimborne Minster (1364). Significantly earlier currency of the same sense may perhaps be shown by the following example of ‘Geoffrey the cook’ in a list of witnesses to an early 12th-cent. Exeter manumission, although without context the precise sense cannot be determined:lOE Manumission, Exeter (Exeter 3501) in C. Fox & B. Dickins Early Cultures North-west Europe (1950) 366 And ðis is seo gewitnisse, Iohan alurices sune,..Huberd Randolf cotes sune, Osbern Hod Pilegrim Ialebriht Gesfrei se coc & Pierres se niulier [i.e. wafer-baker]. Attested early as a surname, where likewise the precise sense is difficult to determine; compare Walter le Kuc (1250), Henry Coke (1279), Ralph le Cook (1296), Robert le Couk (1327), etc. Also attested early as a surname borne by a woman, e.g. Alice le Coke (late 13th cent.), Cecilia la Couk (1327), Agneta le Cok (1327), etc., although it is unclear whether these women were so called as being themselves cooks (in whatever sense) or wives or daughters of a (male) cook. I. A person who cooks (in various senses). 1. A person whose occupation is the preparation and cooking of food.In early use other than in sense 1a(b) apparently an occupation predominantly (but not exclusively) followed by men. Cf. cookess n. a. (a) A person employed to prepare and cook food in a great household, college, monastery, hospital, etc., spec. the senior domestic servant (in early use typically a man) in charge of the kitchens and responsible for the planning of meals in such an establishment (now chiefly historical).It is now often more typical for a professional cook (especially the head cook) in a large household or institution to be referred to as a chef, as in commercial settings (see sense 1b).In many contexts, this sense is increasingly blended with sense 1b, as a result of the commercialization of institutional kitchens. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] cookOE trenchermana1586 kitchenist?1617 magirist1716 cooky1759 magirologist1814 pot-wrestler1831 cuisinier1859 home economist1891 poisoner1905 OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) xi. 197 Gif man preosthades cocas næbbe [L. si coci clerici desunt], and hit neod beo þæt læwede cocas þæder in gan. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4040 Weoren in þeos kinges cuchene twa hundred cokes. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 2898 Bertram, þat was the erles kok. c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. l. 155 (MED) I haue be cook in hir kichyne and þe couent serued. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. ix. 23 Then the coke toke vp a shulder..and set it before Saul. 1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 35 This yere was a coke boylyd in a cauderne in Smythfeld for he wolde a powsynd the byshoppe of Rochester. 1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. Introd. Pref. sig. b3 He had rather his Entertainments should please the Guests, than the Cooks. 1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. vi. 109 I had three hundred Cooks to dress my Victuals. 1890 Balliol College (Oxf.) Rules 4 The dinner at the Strangers' Table is not to cost more than half-a-crown per head, and is to be arranged by the Cook. 1957 Times 19 July 3/2 (advt.) Sussex Preparatory school requires cook; start mid-September: room in separate cottage. 2012 J. M. Spicksley Business & Househ. Accts. J. Jeffreys 54 Joyce specified payments of wages to at least twenty individuals..including household servants, a cook—and brewing-maid, two coachmen, a blacksmith, and even the parish clerk. (b) A person (typically a woman) employed to prepare the meals in a small, private household.It is difficult to clearly distinguish early evidence which might show this sense from use in sense 1a(a). ΚΠ 1594 Knacke to knowe Knaue sig. D3 For your kitchin, keep a woman cooke, One that will serue for thirtie shillings a yeare. a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) i. ii. 4 Mistris Quickly; which is in the manner of his Nurse; or his dry-Nurse; or his Cooke; or his Laundry. View more context for this quotation 1745 J. Swift Direct. to Servants 20 Let the Cook..follow..with a Ladle-full [of soup], and dribble it all the Way up Stairs. 1873 L. Troubridge Jrnl. in Life amongst Troubridges (1966) 11 Mrs Quick is the cook... She makes very good things for late dinner but not for our [sc. the children's] dinner. 1937 W. Lewis Blasting & Bombardiering iv. viii. 241 At present I should be living in a villa just outside Paris with a Japanese cook and a Zulu butler. 2012 Sun (Nexis) 6 Oct. 36–7 Opportunities in Mumbai are huge, it's like the golden age to be here. We have a driver, a cook, a cleaner, which gives me more time with my wife and friends. b. A person whose occupation is the preparation of cooked food for sale in a restaurant, shop, stall, or some other commercial setting; a professional chef or caterer. In early use frequently: the proprietor of a restaurant, shop, or stall serving cooked food to customers (cf. cookshop n. 1).See also fry cook n. at fry n.² Additions, line cook n. at line n.² Additions, pastry-cook n.In some commercial contexts it is now more typical for a person employed to prepare food (esp. the head of the kitchen in a hotel, restaurant, etc.) to be referred to as a chef; cf. note at sense 1a(a). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > keeper of eating-house > [noun] hostc1290 taverner1340 hosteler1350 cookc1390 ostlera1400 goodman1430 innkeeperc1449 hosterc1503 hostler?a1505 tabler1569 tavern-keeper1611 ordinary keeper1644 cantinier1721 landlord1724 traiteur1751 tavern-man1755 restaurateur1793 restorator1796 restauranteur1837 restauranter1863 c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. Prol. l. 104 Cookes [B text c1400 Laud 581 Cokes] and heore knaues Cryen ‘hote pies, hote!’ a1450 in L. T. Smith York Plays (1885) p. xxiv Cukes..Waterleders. ?a1500 in J. C. Tingey Rec. City of Norwich (1910) II. 316 The Meyr of this cite comaundyth..þat non cook selle no vetaile but it be well sesonde and þt thei rechafe no mete. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 206/2 Coke that selleth meate, cuisinier. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 18 We went to a boiling Cook's in Rosemary-lane. 1805 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. V. 151 The cooks of London, who were incorporated by Edward 4. bargained and sold a part of their lands in fee. 1968 D. O'Grady Bottle of Sandwiches 160 Meals consisted of piles of sangers, made by the pub cook, and brought out at odd intervals. 2009 D. Lepak & M. Gowan Human Resource Managem. iv. 86 Compare the job of a cook in a fast-food restaurant to that of a chef in a fine restaurant. c. A crew member on a ship who prepares and cooks food for the crew; esp. one who is in charge of the galley, is responsible for planning meals. Later also: a person who prepares food for a military unit, camp, etc.See also mess cook n. at mess n.¹ Compounds 1b, sergeant cook n. at sergeant n. Compounds 2, sea-cook n. at sea n. Compounds 6a. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > ship's cook cook1466 sea-cook1707 doctor1803 slushy1859 potwalloper1890 the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > army cook cook1466 slum burner1930 1466 in Manners & Househ. Expenses Eng. (1841) 208 Paid to Blowebolle kooke of the kervelle [sc. a carvel, a type of ship], xx.d. 1553 S. Cabot in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) i. 260 The steward and cooke of euery ship. 1633 T. James Strange Voy. 92 Sometimes..we should so strike against the Ice, that the fore-part of the Ship would cracke againe; and make our Cooke and others to runne vp all amazed, and thinke the Ship had beene beaten all to pieces. 1693 E. Bohun Char. Queen Elizabeth 256 John Oxenham a Common Sailer,..had served under him [sc. Sir Francis Drake] in his former Expeditions, as a Soldier, Seaman, and Cook. 1772 Morning Chron. 5 June I am an old soldier, when I was encamped in Flanders, I remember an army-cook who would never let us have an ounce of fat to our meat. 1825 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 42/1 The ship's cook might have saved himself the trouble of rousing out his unwilling and yawning dirty mate, long ere the cock crew. 1871 A. Forbes My Experiences of War between France & Germany 243 The kitchen was a part of the hut partitioned off, and we had the battalion cook there—a resplendent being in a white cap and apron. 1922 B.Hecht 1001 Afternoons in Chicago 146 I understand you were a cook on a tramp steamer in the south seas. 1986 Times 15 Feb. 3/8 Her husband..left his job as a cook in the Army Catering Corps. 2006 Maritime Labour Convent. (Internat. Labour Organization) §3.2.3 Seafarers employed as ships' cooks with responsibility for food preparation must be trained and qualified for their position on board ship. †2. figurative and in figurative contexts. a. A person, animal, or thing regarded as supplying or preparing food or nourishment for someone or something else. Frequently (esp. in religious or moral contexts) with reference to the dead human body as a source of food for worms. Obsolete. ΚΠ c1300 Sayings St. Bernard (Laud) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) 511 (MED) Man is worm and wormes cok, For he schal wormes fede. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 481 (MED) The Stomach coc is for the halle, And builleth mete for hem alle [i.e. the livere, lunge, galle, splen]. c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1911) 164 (MED) The hynde..kam..With a repast of hir mylk..She was thy cook, she was thy boteleer, Ageyn the constreynt of hunger to do boote. 1511 Kalender of Shepherdes (new ed.) sig. F.vii^v They that nouryssheth wel y^e flesshe prepayreth meet for wormes, & so the gloton is coke to wormes. 1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια viii. xxix. 679 The Stomacke doeth prepare and minister meate to the Liuer as a Cooke. 1681 New Copy Verses about Interlopers (single sheet) Embalmers those Cooks, who for Worms dress a Feast. b. A person who prepares, develops, or rehashes something, esp. a piece of writing. See cook v.¹ 5. Obsolete and somewhat rare. ΚΠ a1585 A. Montgomerie Flyting with Polwart (Tullibardine) in Poems (2000) I. 143 Thy scrowis obscuir ar borrowit fra sum buik. Fra lyndsay þow tuik, þow art chawceris cuik. 1782 Monthly Rev. Jan. 5 If you will permit me to follow this metaphor, and return to his talents, I will say, Voltaire was a great literary cook. 1830 C. Babbage Refl. Decline of Sci. 178 If a hundred observations are made, the Cook must be very unlucky if he cannot pick out fifteen or twenty which will do for serving up. 3. With reference to a person who is not a domestic servant or a professional chef or caterer. a. With modifying word. A person considered in terms of the quality of his or her cooking, or enthusiasm for cookery. ΚΠ 1607 L. Lloyd Tragicocomedie of Serpents v. 54 Euerie souldier that Alexander hath, is a better Cooke, and maketh sweeter sawce, than the Queene of Caria can make. 1747 A. Campbell Sequel Bulkeley & Cummins's Voy. South Seas iii. 31 Captain Cheap himself..proved an excellent Cook. I had the Honour to sup with him one Night, when we had a slaugh Cake of his making, the best I ever eat on the Island. 1834 A. Conolly Journey to North of India Overland I. xvii. 307 A friend and protegé of the Syud's..proposed to accompany us to Hindoostân, and as his object was a laudable one, and he was a good cook, we agreed to take him with us. 1890 Good Housek. 22 Nov. 340/1 I know when things are good. Robert says that is the reason I am a good cook; that many women are poor cooks simply because they do not know the difference between good and bad food. 1964 D. Krell et al. Adventures in Food 119 Turkeys..and ducks and squabs..give enthusiastic cooks a great opportunity to try new and fascinating recipes. 2020 @RealLucyLawless 4 Apr. in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2020) I am the worst cook in the world. So if I can pull off sourdough bread, anyone can. b. A person who does the cooking on a particular occasion. Later also: the member of a family, household, etc., who usually prepares its meals. ΚΠ 1700 J. Whitney Dialogue Piscator & Corydon in Genteel Recreation 61 Corydon... Some friends I have at need, and those Shall sup with us, if nothing do oppose... Command my House, one hour I crave to be Among my kine, and other drudgery... Piscator Well, I'll be Cook, against your quick return. 1785 H. Swinburne Trav. in Two Sicilies II. xxi. 166 Our pilot, who acted as cook, had provided a most plentiful supply of limpets, prawns, and red mullets. 1879 W. Hughes Let. 15 Apr. in T. Hughes G.T.T. Gone to Texas (1884) ii. 83 We stewed him [sc. a rabbit] for breakfast, and wasn't he good, oh my..! I am generally cook, and turn out some fine concoctions; but G—— and Tim are rapidly learning. 1943 Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chron. 2 Sept. 11/1 It behooves the cook of the household to make plans now for disposing of any surplus the garden may yield. 1992 W. J. McKay Me, an Evangelist? xiii. 149 Jim came over for a meal and to meet Sarah... I was the cook that night. 2017 @Kimmmm_n 12 Aug. in twitter.com (accessed 23 Apr. 2020) Steven is the cook in our house. After dinner I wash the dishes and clean up the kitchen. II. The action of cook v.¹, in various senses. 4. a. North American. Cheese-making. A stage in the cheese-making process in which the curds and whey are gently heated before being separated. Chiefly with modifying word indicating temperature, extent, etc., of heating, etc. Now rare. ΚΠ 1870 T. D. Curtis Hints on Cheese-making xv. 74 We believe that an even cook or scald is of the utmost importance, and that everything that can should be done to secure that end. 1919 N.Y. Produce Rev. & Amer. Creamery 16 July 557/1 A crumbly body is usually caused by over-ripe milk, too much starter, too high a cook, too long heating, or too long stirring of curd after dipping. 1931 H. L. Wilson & C. S. Trimble Manuf. of Low-acid Cottage Cheese (U.S. Dept. Agric. Misc. Publ. No. 119) 2 An ordinary cheese vat with a water jacket should be used, because a slower and more uniform cook will result than with a steam-jacketed vat. b. colloquial (originally North American). An act of heating food; a period or instance of cooking. Usually with modifying word indicating the duration, extent, etc., of cooking. ΚΠ 1920 Amer. Food Jrnl. Nov. 26/3 A can of food may be sterilized by a quick cook at a high temperature, or by a protracted cook at a lower temperature. 1947 Winnipeg Tribune 24 Jan. 11/2 Cook until mixture responds to usual test for jelly or jam. This is not a long, slow cook. 1996 rec.food.preserving 14 Mar. (Usenet newsgroup, accessed 15 Apr. 2020) Remember to can [asparagus] only in wide mouth jars, tips DOWN, or you may not get an even cook, and lose a batch! 2019 @dgkimpton 10 Dec. in twitter.com (accessed 15 Apr. 2020) Great steak mostly just needs the chill taking off, crap steak needs a thorough cook through. 5. Chess. An alternative solution to a problem which differs from that intended by the setter, thus spoiling or invalidating the problem. Cf. earlier cook v.¹ 8. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [noun] > problems > solutions key1845 cook1875 1875 S. H. Thomas in Westm. Papers Apr. 243/1 I almost imagined the author's solution a ‘cook’. 1929 Christian Sci. Monitor 11 June 6/3 Problem..No. 1099 has a cook by QxBch which was overlooked. 1959 Sunday Times 14 June 17/2 Having thoroughly checked for cooks at an earlier stage, the composer makes a slight change..and this change has a side-effect which allows an extra solution. 2006 Chess Life Nov. 56/2 Someone proposed putting another black pawn on e4 to eliminate the cook. 6. Papermaking. The process of boiling pulp with other substances in a digester; an instance of this. ΘΚΠ society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > paper-making > [noun] > specific processes calendering1513 pulping1640 watermarking1851 couching1875 knotting1875 friction-glazing1878 shake1885 soda process1885 cook1894 sulphate process1894 reeling1906 fibrillation1929 conditioning1954 1894 R. B. Griffin & A. D. Little Chem. Paper-making ii. iii. 163 The pulp obtained at the close of the cook is of a grayish brown color, while the liquor is a dark, rich brown. 1963 R. R. A. Higham Handbk. Papermaking v. 100 Digestion may take place either as a quick cook or a slow cook. 2010 H. U. Suess Pulp Bleaching Today iv. 178 Pulping starts with a neutral impregnation followed by an acidic cook. Phrases P1. it is an ill cook that cannot lick his (or her) own fingers and variants: a person should want to taste the food that he or she cooks; (hence) one should have pride and faith in one's own work, efforts, etc.Now usually in allusion to or influenced by Shakespeare's use in quot. 1597. ΚΠ 1509 J. Stanbridge Vulgaria sig. C.iv^v He is an euyll coke that can not lycke his owne lyppes. 1545 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes (new ed.) f. xix He is an euyll cooke, that can not lycke his owne fyngers. 1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. ii. 6 Tis an ill Cooke cannot licke his owne fingers. View more context for this quotation 1839 Northern Liberator 3 Aug. 4/4 Stop it with your thumb; it is a poor cook that cannot lick her own fingers. 1949 Times Lit. Suppl. 7 Oct. 647 (advt.) We may perhaps be pardoned..if it is with a certain..pride that we now look back across the two hundred and twenty-five years of Longman's publishing, for he is a sorry cook that may not lick his own finger. 2005 K. Heitzmann Unforgotten xxxv. 601 Star plunked a plate down for Mom, then sucked her finger. ‘'Tis an ill cook that cannot lick her own fingers.’ ‘An ill cook in..deed.’ Antonia smiled. P2. God sends meat, but the devil sends cooks and variants: bad cooks spoil good ingredients. ΚΠ 1542 A. Borde Compend. Regyment Helth xi. sig. F.iv^v It is a common prouerbe, God may sende a man good meate, but the deuyll may sende an euyll coke to dystrue it. 1663 ‘P. Stampoy’ Coll. Sc. Prov. 21 God sends meat, and the Devil sends Cooks. a1779 D. Garrick Poet. Wks. (1785) II. 532 Heaven sends us good meat, but the Devil sends cooks. 1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel III. iii. 79 The homely proverb, that men taunt my calling with—‘God sends good meat, but the devil sends cooks’. 1988 E. Hoagland Learning to Eat Soup in Balancing Acts (1992) 292 Adage: ‘God sends meat, the Devil sends cooks’. 2011 Guardian (Nexis) 18 Oct. Not for nothing does the old saying go, ‘God sends meat and the devil sends cooks’. The brains behind mass-produced meat have made it much more difficult to find good beef. P3. hunger is the best cook and variants: food tastes better when one is hungry. Cf. hunger is the best kitchen at kitchen n.¹ Phrases 3, hunger is the best sauce (see sauce n. Phrases 1).In early use chiefly in translations from other languages, or in contexts where this is regarded as a proverb from a language other than English. [Compare early modern German der hunger ist der best koch (1530 or earlier).] ΚΠ 1575 T. Vautrollier tr. M. Luther Comm. Epist. to Galathians f. 155 Hunger is the best Cooke [L. Fames optimus cocus est]. 1660 J. Trapp Comm. Holy Script. (Prov. xxvii. 7) 178 Hunger is the best Cook, say the Dutch, the best sawce, say we, experience proves it so: how sweetly doth it season homely cates, coarse fare? 1785 D. MacIntosh Coll. Gaelic Prov. & Familiar Phrases 51 Hunger is a good cook. 1850 Amer. Biblical Repository Jan. 173 That hunger is a good cook has been set down to his credit for the longest possible time the world over. 1973 Addictions Summer 75 For the full enjoyment of leisure, you have to be tired first, as for the full enjoyment of food the best cook is hunger. 2018 Byron Shire Echo (Mullumbimby, New S. Wales) 4 Apr. 6/3 Professor Cohen believes we need to get back in touch with hunger... ‘My mum always said that hunger is the best cook. When you eat you really appreciate it.’ P4. a. (a) too many cooks spoil the broth and variants: if too many people are in charge of or involved in a task, it will not be done well.With quots. 1890 and 1985, cf. the later phrase too many cooks in the kitchen at Phrases 4a(b). ΚΠ c1575 J. Hooker Life Sir P. Carew in Archaeologia (1840) 28 111 As the common proverbe is, 'the more cookes the worse potage'. 1663 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders 104 As every Cook commends his own Sauce; more then one Cook to a dish will spoile it. 1789 G. Hanger Addr. to Army 100 Consulting them perhaps might have been of use; though, in my humble opinion,..too many cooks generally spoil the broth. 1804 J. Wolcot Great Cry & Little Wool in Wks. (1812) V. 165 The more cooks the worse broth. 1890 Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago) 19 Oct. 10/7 It [sc. a political conspiracy] failed because there were too many cooks in the kitchen and they spoilt the broth. 1903 Brush & Pencil 12 359 It was found that there had been misunderstandings.., so much of the work had to be done over again. It was a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. 1985 Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) 19 Sept. a2/4 Costello..said the city had enough prosecutors. ‘Too many cooks in the kitchen will spoil the soup,’ he said. 2019 Philippine Star (Nexis) 18 June Too many cooks spoil the broth and with all of them working independently of each other, they turned an ‘incident’ into a ‘crisis’. (b) Originally and chiefly U.S. too many cooks in the kitchen: so many people are involved in or trying to take charge of the situation in question that there is little or no chance that it will be managed or done well.This phrase may have developed directly from the earlier phrase too many cooks spoil the broth at Phrases 4a(a) (cf. quots. 1890 and 1985 at Phrases 4a(a) at that sense), or be an elaboration of earlier elliptical use in too many cooks at Phrases 4b. ΚΠ 1837 Elyria Republican in Daily Ohio Statesman 30 Dec. The Governor..very well knows that the present pecuniary difficulties of the country were produced by an expansion and contraction of the currency... But there were too many cooks in the kitchen. The message is bloated with bankism. 1931 Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin) 11 Sept. 2/2 The farmers complain bitterly of lack of assistance and charge that this lack is due to too many cooks in the kitchen. 1982 Bluefield (W. Va.) Daily Tel. 24 Jan. 4 a/4 Things can get out of hand with too many cooks in the kitchen, as we have all learned. 2007 B. Brandl et al. Elder Abuse Detection & Intervention Introd. p. xvi Like any multidisciplinary team, we balanced the number of participants needed to get the job done versus having ‘too many cooks in the kitchen.’ b. Elliptically, in too many cooks. ΚΠ 1800 C. Dibdin Compl. Hist. Eng. Stage V. 261 Lionel and Clarissa had considerable merit; but in this piece there were too many cooks. 1833 R. H. Horne Expos. False Medium & Barriers excluding Men of Genius from Public 213 A new applicant succeeds in making his way on to the stage through the dense press of ignorance, obstinacy, and knavery of its ‘too many cooks’. 1902 H. C. Merivale Bar, Stage & Platform iv. 67 Then, as afterwards.., too many people wanted their own way. It was the old story of ‘too many cooks’, he said. 1965 D. Clewes Guide Dog xx. 156 ‘I was just going to apprehend him when I saw you'd taken over. Too many cooks,’ he muttered under his breath. 1993 Nation (N.Y.) 29 Nov. 672/2 You can't help wondering if there are simply too many cooks here, the lack of a strong editorial hand accounting both for the uneven quality of the work as a whole and for its lack of intellectual rigor. 2008 Guardian (Nexis) 19 Feb. 31 The reason the tripartite system [of regulation in the financial industry] failed was not simply a case of too many cooks. Compounds C1. In compounds denoting or designating a person employed in the preparation and cooking of food. a. In genitive compounds denoting a servant employed to assist a cook, as in cook's boy, cook's knave, cook's maid, etc. Now historical. [With the plural form cooks' boys in quot. 1935 compare the etymological note at cookshop n.] ΚΠ ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 278 Þe cokes cnaue þe weschedisch incuchene [c1230 Corpus Cambr. þe wescheð & wipeð disches i cuchene]. c1450 (a1375) Octavian (Calig.) (1979) l. 154 Sche segth a boy, loþly of face, A quysteroun..And seyde, ‘Hark, þou cokes knaue.’ 1598 W. Phillip tr. J. H. van Linschoten Disc. Voy. E. & W. Indies xxix. 55/1 It is nowe growne so common among them, that very Cookes boyes and others as meane as they, are made knightes. 1613 T. Lodge tr. Seneca Epist. lvi, in tr. Seneca Wks. (1614) 252 An infinite crie of Cake-sellers, of Saudsige-mongers, and crackling Merchants, and all the Cookes skullions, who sell their meate. 1745 Agreeable Compan. 18 True Consistence, such as Cooks-maids make At Shrovetide, when they toss the pliant Cake. 1858 W. W. Sanger Hist. Prostitution xvi. 190 The host was required to provide, at his own cost, a cook and a cook's maid. 1935 Sunday Times 22 Sept. 15/3 [French] hotels..used to employ anything from four to fifteen cooks' boys... These cooks' boys..were not merely performing minor duties in the kitchen—they were preparing to be the chefs of the next generation. 1994 Jrnl. Eng. & Germanic Philol. 93 517 The journey of the hero from cook's knave to king. b. As a modifier, designating a person employed in cooking, or as an assistant to a cook, as in cook boy, cook man, cook woman. See also cook wench n., cookmaid n. ΚΠ a1569 A. Kingsmill Godly Aduise touching Mariage in Viewe Mans Estate (1574) sig. I.ij^v The fine cooke men dight the rude morsell with some conceyte of their cunning, but I haue no other Sugar to grace my dishe withall. 1571 in Bannatyne Misc. (1855) III. 121 I was careit to the Bischope of Ely's howse in Holburne; quhair I remanit, and two serwandis … , with my cooke boy. 1664 in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun Misc. Maitland Club (1840) II. 511 To Williame Scharpis stewart his cooklass, Alexander Miller at my Lordis directione [five pounds eleven shillings]. 1682 G. Hartman True Preserver & Restorer of Health xiii. 153 Sir Kenelm Digby's Cook-woman..once surfeited her self, by eating of those..dangerous fish called Mussels. 1796 Before Lords Commissioners of Appeals Prize Causes: The Lion, App. Appellant's Case 6 The Crew of the said Brig consisted of the..Master., Four Seamen, and a Black Boy, Cook Slave to the said Master, and also the Second Mate. 1800 Narr. Sketches Conquest of Mysore 24 There is allowed to each regiment, an establishment of one hundred and sixty boys..; they are the sons of deserving officers and Sepoys, or the cook lads and others attached to the Europeans. 1876 L. Coffin Reminiscences ix. 304 I did not know whether she was a cook girl, chambermaid, nurse girl or field hand. 1915 R. Humphreys Trav. East of Suez 195 It was the cook wallah who came up and announced dinner would be ready in a few minutes. 2008 Dominion Post (New Zealand) (Nexis) 24 Jan. 7 Pasang..worked as a cook-boy on many of Sir Ed's expeditions, making porridge and doing dishes. c. As a modifier, designating a domestic servant who does the work of a cook but also does the duties of the servant indicated by the second element, as in cook-housekeeper, cook-housemaid, cook-valet, etc. See also cook-general n. at Compounds 1d, and quot. 1918 at cookmaid n. ΚΠ 1784 Leeds Intelligencer 13 Jan. Wanted in a Gentleman's Family in the Country, a Cook-Housekeeper, that has lived in good Places, and can produce an undeniable Character. 1811 Morning Post 4 Dec. A Cook House-Maid, or House-Maid Cook, is wanted, for the Service of a Single Gentleman, where only one other, a Man-servant is kept. 1864 H. M. Smythies Guilty, or Not Guilty I. xxi. 297 Two of the Croft girls were watching the lovely patient, while the cook-nurse, Lisbeth, went to her supper. 1870 F. M. Whitehurst Diary 13 Feb. in My Private Diary (1875) 302 ‘What hour does M. le Comte dine?’ ‘Ah! towards the six or seven hours,’ replies calmly a Paris French cook-valet as he peels an onion for..soup. 1892 C. M. Yonge That Stick xi. 71 The indoor servants were all new, the cook-housekeeper hired by Lady Kenton's assistance. 1917 N.Y. Times 8 July (Real Estate section) iv. 10/4 (advt.) Japanese cook-valet wants position bachelor's apartment. 2009 Crossroads (Shoal Lake, Manitoba) 7 Mar. 28/4 Elderly persons housing..requires a permanent cook/housekeeper for 35 hours per week. Duties include preparing/serving dinner..and general housekeeping duties. d. cook-general n. now historical a domestic servant who does the duties of a cook as well as general housework; cf. general n. 9. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > cook or housekeeper cook-general1896 society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > domestic servant > [noun] > housekeeper > and cook cook-general1896 1896 Daily News 30 Oct. 10/4 Cook-general and Young Housemaid wanted. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 45/1 A cook-general is expected to undertake a certain amount of general housework. 2004 J. Feather Bachelor List v. 78 Think of the cook-generals, the maids-of-all-work, who rise at six and don't see their beds until midnight. Ill-fed, overworked, underpaid, with two hours off a week. cook's mate n. (also cook mate) the deputy or assistant of a ship's cook. ΘΚΠ society > travel > travel by water > one who travels by water or sea > sailor > sailors involved in specific duties or activities > [noun] > ship's cooks and assistants shifter1704 sea-cook1707 doctor1803 slushy1859 cook's mate1865 potwalloper1890 the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook > [noun] > ship's cook > assistant shifter1704 cook's mate1865 1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 15 Euphues..neyther coulde comforte himselfe nor durst aske counsel of his friend, suspecting..that Philautus was corriuall with him, and cookemate with Lucilla. 1640 A. S. Terrible Sea-fight sig. C^v Amongst the dead were divers of our Officers; as namely, the upper Pilot, high boats-man, the Cooke, the Cookes mate, Gunners mate, one or two Quarter masters. 1710 London Gaz. No. 4649/4 [He] has been at Sea some time in the Queen's Service as Cook's Mate. 1765 M. Mackenzie in Philos. Trans. 1764 (Royal Soc.) 54 80 Cooks and cooks mates, who are always near the fire, suffer more by the plague, than any other set of people. 1865 Calcutta Rev. 41 327 A cook-mate on board a Dutch man-of-war. 2016 L. Collingham & S. Husain Around India's First Table v. 118 Desai Ram, who began his career as a cook's mate in 1958, recalled that it was equipped with one large underground tandoor and two small tandoors. † cook-serving adj. Obsolete rare designating a person employed to assist a cook.Apparently an isolated usage. ΚΠ 1843 Peter Parley's Ann. 91 Lascaris disguised himself as a cook-serving man, and got himself engaged by the head cook. C2. cook's kettle n. (also cook kettle) originally Nautical; U.S. in later use (now chiefly historical). a (large) metal cooking pot. ΚΠ 1807 Hampshire Tel. 30 Mar. [In the inventory of a ship for sale.] One cast iron stove in the Forecastle, 2 provision tubs, cook's kettle, and frying pan. 1863 ‘E. Kirke’ Southern Friends xxi. 215 A large iron pot..serving for both washtub and cook-kettle. 1918 J. R. McDill Lessons from Enemy 34 The cook kettle [sc. of an army field kitchen] holds 200 liters, the coffee tank 70 liters. 2004 M. E. Snodgrass Encycl. Kitchen Hist. 661 Removal of the clay exterior [of a mold] left a useful vessel, such as the three-legged cook's kettle with extended handles. cook's knife n. (also cook-knife) a kitchen knife, esp. (in early use) a large, heavy one; a knife of a type used by a cook or chef. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > [noun] > knife dressing knife1362 trencher-knife1392 bread knife1432 kitchen knife1433 dresser knifea1450 carving-knifea1475 sticking knife1495 chipper1508 chipping knife1526 butcher's knife1557 striking knife1578 mincing knife1586 cook's knife1599 oyster knife1637 randing knife1725 stick knife1819 chopping-knife1837 carver1839 butch knife1845 fish-carver1855 fruit-knife1855 rimmer1876 throating knife1879 steak knife1895 paring knife1908 1599 J. Minsheu Percyvall's Dict. Spanish & Eng. 161/3 Machéte, a great knife that the pesants and olde men vse in Spaine to weare at their girdles like a butchers knife, or a cookes knife. 1649 C. Hoole Easie Entrance Lat. Tongue 257/1 A cook-knife, culter divisórius. 1750 Daily Advertiser 25 Apr. All the Stock in Trade of the said Shop; consisting of various sorts of Table, Desert, and Cooks Knives. 1868 M. Jewry Warne's Model Cookery 30/3 2 cook's knives. 1939 J. Cary Mister Johnson 88 Sozy's cook's knife, a black-handled French knife with a sharp point. 2018 Gold Coast (Austral.) Eye (Nexis) 13 Oct. 13 Make deep cuts all over the cabbage with a large cook's knife, rub with olive oil and season generously. cook's Latin n. somewhat rare (now historical) informal, domestic, or rudimentary Latin; cf. kitchen-Latin n. at kitchen n.¹ Compounds 9b. ΚΠ 1681 W. Robertson Phraseologia Generalis 387/1 He is a Master of Cooks Latine. 1876 J. Thomson tr. J.-C. Davillier Spain xvi. 361 The priest spoke Latin like a sacristan, while that of the girl could hardly even be called cook's Latin. 1998 A. Miller Casanova ix. 47 Charpillon would be as little able to read it, this marriage of cook's Latin and low German [i.e. English], as he was himself. Derivatives cook-like adj. and adv. (a) adj. resembling a cook; resembling that of or done by a cook; (b) adv. in the manner of a cook (now rare). ΚΠ 1581 W. Fulke Reioynder Bristows Replie 418 As truly as his [sc. Christ's] flesh was rosted, so truely it is eaten: but we acknowledge no cooklike rosting but a mystical preparation. 1683 E. Hickeringill Test or Tryal of Goodness & Value of Spiritual-Courts ii. 4 I..will Lard my discourse, where I list. And though I have not the skill to do it Cook-like, I hope, not Slovenly, Though 'tis but to make it go the more merrily down. 1793 ‘P. Pindar’ Poet. Epist. to Pope 3 A cook-like Dame, who understands place-carving, and saves such worthy families from starving. 1821 T. Hood Cook's Oracle in Wks. (1862) I. 25 The Doctor appears to have written his work upon the back of a dripping-pan, with the point of his spit, so very cooklike does he dish up his remarks. 1924 P. G. Wodehouse Ukridge ii. 32 The little crowd..consisted of five women of cooklike aspect, four nursemaids, [etc.]. 2001 B. Ehrenreich Nickel & Dimed (2002) ii. 81 She already has the nanny, a cooklike person, and a crew of men doing..construction. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022). cookn.² Brit. /kʊk/, U.S. /kʊk/ Origin: Of uncertain origin. Probably a borrowing from Cornish. Etymon: Cornish kôg. Etymology: Origin uncertain. Probably < Cornish kôg cuckoo (1707 or earlier; cognate with Welsh cog , ultimately of imitative origin: see discussion at cuckoo n.), perhaps so called from a perceived resemblance between its striped markings and those of the cuckoo. Influenced in form by folk-etymological association with cook n.¹ and cook v.¹ (compare quot. a1705 at main sense). Compare later rock cook n.An alternative explanation of the semantic motivation is given by W. B. Lockwood ( Zeitschrift f. Anglistik u. Amerikanistik 13 (1965) 266-8), who suggests association of the predominantly blue colour of the fish with the colour of bluebells (Cornish bleujenn an gog , literally ‘cuckoo flower’). However, this name for the bluebell is a modern (20th-cent.) Cornish formation by R. M. Nance, inferred from English regional (Cornwall) cuckoo harebell, bluebell (see cuckoo n. 5); the original Cornish name for the flower is unknown. Earlier currency of the word is probably shown by the first element of cook fish n. (see discussion at that entry). The cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus, a marine fish of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean; spec. the brightly-coloured male which is yellow-orange with blue and purple markings. Now rare.The female cuckoo wrasse was previously called the red wrasse.Now only in cook wrasse and rock cook: see cook wrasse n., rock cook n. ΚΠ a1705 J. Ray Synopsis Avium & Piscium (1713) ii. 163 Cook (i.e. Coquus) Cornubiensium... Dorso est purpureo indico, ventre flavescente. 1769 T. Pennant Brit. Zool. (new ed.) III. iv. 210 (heading) The cook... This species, Mr. Jago says, is sometimes taken in great plenty on the Cornish coasts... The back is purple and dark blue; the belly yellow. 1877 Field 13 Oct. 413/1 The most gorgeously arrayed representative of the whole family, the cuckoo wrass—or, as he is best known in the island [sc. Jersey], the ‘cook’—(Labrus mixtus). Compounds † cook cunner n. (also cook conner) Obsolete the (male) cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus. ΚΠ 1847 Zoologist 5 1610 Cook Conner, L[abrus] variegatus. Everywhere common. The colour, especially the blue, varies from a deep, to a very light tint. 1891 Rep. Comm. Fish & Fisheries 1887 XV. App. 611 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (50th Congr., 2nd Sess.: House of Representatives Misc. Doc. 133) VIII Labrus bimaculatus. (Cook-wrasse; Cook-cunner; Red Wrasse.) 1925 Proc. Leeds Philos. & Lit. Soc. (Lit. & Hist. Section) Oct. 39 In English, the male of the labrus mixtus Fries and Ekström is called cook conner, cook cunner, cook fish, cook wrasse. cook wrasse n. now rare the (male) cuckoo wrasse, Labrus mixtus. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > fish > superorder Acanthopterygii (spiny fins) > order Perciformes (perches) > suborder Labrioidei (wrasse) > [noun] > family Labridae > genus Labrus > labrus mixtus (red wrasse) cook wrasse1803 red wrasse?a1808 cook fish1888 1803 G. Shaw Gen. Zool. IV. ii. 503 Cook Labrus... Cook Wrasse. 1859 J. Richardson Yarrell's Hist. Brit. Fishes (ed. 3) I. 495 The Red Wrasse..was ascertained by Fries to be the female of the Cook Wrasse. 1954 M. Kennedy Sea Angler's Fishes vi. 172 Cook wrasse, merrinroe, livery fish or livery servant, striped wrasse, red wrasse, three-spotted wrasse (female). This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022). cookv.¹ Brit. /kʊk/, U.S. /kʊk/ Forms: see cook n.¹; also late Middle English cock, 1600s coque. Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: cook n.¹ Etymology: < cook n.¹Compare Old Frisian kokia (West Frisian kôkje , (also) koaitsje ), Middle Dutch cōken (Dutch koken ), Middle Low German kōken , Old High German kochōn (Middle High German kochen , German kochen ), and also ( < Middle Low German) Old Swedish koka (Swedish koka ), Old Danish koke (Danish koge ), all ultimately reflecting a borrowing < classical Latin coquere (see cook n.¹). Reflexes of classical Latin coquere are shown by Old French, Middle French, French cuire (c881), Old Occitan, Occitan còser (a1126 as cozer ), Spanish cocer (a1250), Portuguese cozer (13th cent.), Italian cuocere (c1260). Compare also Old English gecōcsod (past participle) fried, gecōcnod (past participial adjective) seasoned with spices, cōcnung (noun) article of cooked food, perhaps a cake, and also the first element of cōcor-panne frying pan, cōcor-mete some kind of cooked food. The formation (and in some cases the precise meaning) of these words is unclear; they are usually regarded as derivatives of cōc cook n.¹, but despite their formal and semantic similarity they may in fact be unrelated (see further L-G. Hallander Old English Verbs in -sian (1966) 136–43, who suggests that they may ultimately be < the same Germanic base as cake n.). I. Senses relating to the heating of food or other substances. 1. a. intransitive. To prepare food, a dish, or a meal, typically by combining and heating the ingredients; to act as a cook; to practise cookery. Also with for, specifying the person, household, etc., for whom the food is prepared. Cf. bake v. 1b.Somewhat rare before the 19th cent.In quots. c1400² and 1662 in figurative context. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > undergo cooking [verb (intransitive)] > perform cooking cookc1400 kitchen1842 plain cooka1845 c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xvi. l. 60 Thenne cam contrition þat hadde coked for hem alle. c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 150 Prestis..schulden travel night and day to coke for mennis gostly fode. 1662 Duchess of Newcastle Playes Written sig. Iiiiiiii3^v For as French Cooks are accounted the best for corporal meats, so the Greeks and Latins for poetical Meats, but I am neither a Greek nor a Latin Cook; I cannot dress, or cook after the Fashions or Phancies. ?1795 H. More Two Wealthy Farmers: Pt. I 11 They asked her scornfully ‘whether she had sent them to Boarding School to learn to cook; and added that they supposed she would expect them next to make puddings for the hay-makers’. 1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville II. 150 They did not venture to make a fire and cook, it is true. 1881 Queen's Regul. for Army xvii. ⁋86 The most competent man is to be selected to cook for the whole of the troops on board. 1941 S. Cloete Hill of Doves (1969) vii. 101 Everyone was cooking when Dirk got back. 1985 J. Wyndham Love Lessons (1986) iii. 92 He just shacked up with me because it was cosy and I cooked for him, and also he hates being alone. 2015 Prospect Aug. 75/2 I love to cook; I love to eat. b. transitive. To prepare (food) by combining and heating the ingredients; to make (a dish or meal) in this way. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook [verb (transitive)] cook1596 concoct1607 to cook up1654 1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 94 Thay kuik it verie commodiouslie vpon the fyre. a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iii. vi. 39 There is cold meat i' th' Caue, we'l brouz on that Whil'st what we haue kill'd, be Cook'd . View more context for this quotation 1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler 52 First I will tel you how you shall catch such a Chub as this was; & then how to cook him. View more context for this quotation 1773 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere II. i. xvii. 198 Bread-fruit is also cooked in an oven of the same kind. a1822 P. B. Shelley Cyclops in Posthumous Poems (1824) 338 Well, is the dinner fitly cooked and laid? 1852 G. C. Furber Ike McCandliss 43/1 Andrew..had been..busy making up more pie crust, while the others were out back, busy cooking the pies. 1925 Amer. Mercury Feb. 184/2 He..cooked his own supper and then crawled into his lonely bed. 1942 C. Spry Come into Garden, Cook xi. 137 Cook the sliced vegetables first in a little fat. 2014 Crave Mar. 20/3 My mother cooked a lot of comfort food. 2017 M. McCabe Two Closes & Referendum iii. 43 I don't want to cook anything. I want to take a ready meal out the freezer and stick it in the micro for ten minutes. c. intransitive. Of food: to undergo cooking, to be cooked. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > undergo cooking [verb (intransitive)] cooka1771 a1771 S. Parkinson Jrnl. Voy. South Seas (1773) 180 Provisions..are hawked about the streets, ready cooked, or cooking. 1857 S. Osborn Quedah xx. 274 Whilst the rice was cooking, I thought I might as well run up and see the town. 1891 Leisure Hour Dec. 144/1 Stew, stirring well, till the pulp cooks to a marmalade. 1948 Good Housek. Cookery Bk. 322/1 An alternative method is to divide the cauliflower into florets before cooking—it cooks more evenly in this way. 2015 Daily Mail 23 May 53/1 The food tasted nice and had those lovely chargrill marks where it had cooked on the griddle. 2. a. transitive. To apply heat to (a person or a thing); to expose to the sun, high temperatures, or a hot environment. ΚΠ ?1710 J. Swift Let. to Stella 10 Mar. in Wks. (1768) XVII. 137 [I] broke my shin..over a tub of sand... I got home..and went straight to bed, where I have been cooking it with goldbeaters' skin [sc. a wound dressing]. 1857 Titan 24 130/2 The kiln that cooks the bricks..is of peculiar contrivance and construction. 1915 Motor Age 28 Oct. 33/3 Out on the desert the sun was cooking us, until I almost fancied I could feel my neck frying. 2014 Sunday Times (Nexis) 7 Dec. 5 In total 2,500 tons of equipment..was disposed of including vehicles, mortars, guns and knives as well as bullets, which were cooked in a furnace..until they exploded. b. intransitive. To be or become uncomfortably hot through prolonged exposure to the sun, high temperatures, or a hot environment.Cf. bake v. 7, roast v. 3b. ΚΠ 1875 C. Garvice Maurice Durant II. iv. 62 The stranger inclined his head,..seating himself on the little wooden table that was cooking in the sun. 1992 USA Today (Nexis) 7 July (Life section) 5 d The batsuit is..like wearing three wet suits on top of each other... ‘It feels like you're cooking in there,’ says..[a] Magic Mountain Batman. 2015 Kwani? 8 394 By 11 a.m. things are cooking inside the car and when I open the doors the car breathes out warm stuffy air. 3. a. transitive. To prepare (a drug, esp. opium or heroin) for immediate use by heating it over a flame. Also intransitive. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (transitive)] > prepare opium cook1852 to cook up1894 the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (intransitive)] > prepare opium cook1916 1852 in Papers relating to Opium Question (1870) App. v. 300 In the process of cooking opium, about a fourth of the quantity is evaporated and wasted. 1876 G. W. Strettell Ficus Elastica in Burma Proper iv. 89 They were busy cooking opium in a small brass spoon. 1916 T. Burke Limehouse Nights (1917) 260 Lois..began to ‘cook’ for her boy... She..dug out the treacly hop..and held it against the flame. 1997 N. Blincoe in M. River Allnighter 31 Jimmy was looking forward to what a little heroin could do to his de-toxed system... He even offered to brew the tea while they cooked the gear. 2008 S. Choi Person of Interest xxi. 247 One girl had taught Mark to cook heroin and then watched him turn blue on her living-room floor. b. transitive. To manufacture (a drug, originally opium) for sale; (in later use) spec. to produce (an illegal drug, esp. methamphetamine) by chemical means.rare before the late 20th cent. ΚΠ 1892 Rev. of Rev. June 604/1 Crude opium is not imported in such a proportion as formerly, because the heavy duties make it impossible to manufacture or ‘cook’ the product in this country and compete with the foreign prepared variety. 1985 San Diego Union Tribune (Nexis) 18 Nov. a9 ‘The outrageous profits far outweigh any risks.’.. The chemist was speaking from experience, having had two labs explode while cooking crystal meth. 1999 Independent on Sunday 25 July 14/5 The Yardies..were never a mafia run by powerful ‘dons’. Instead.., small groups would import small amounts of cocaine, ‘cook’ it into crack and sell it on the streets. 2015 S. W. Albert Bittersweet 20 [The panel van's] former owner was a hippie artist..who was arrested for cooking crystal meth. 4. transitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To make radioactive or transform by exposure to radiation; (also) to synthesize (an element, isotope, etc.) by means of a nuclear reaction. Also intransitive: to undergo such a process. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > making radioactive > become radioactive [verb (intransitive)] cook1950 the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactivity > making radioactive > make radioactive [verb (transitive)] activate1924 radioactivate1949 cook1950 1950 Time 27 Feb. 67/1 Others [sc. isotopes] are formed in aluminum cans of raw material ‘cooked’ by the pile's neutrons. 1959 C. Hodder-Williams Chain Reaction xiii. 157 If the thing won't cook if they're [sc. the control rods are] raised about three quarters of the way out, you can reckon that there's something cockeyed somewhere. 1988 J. D. Barrow & F. J. Tipler Anthropic Cosmological Princ. i. 18 The nuclei of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus of which we are made, are cooked from the light primordial nuclei of hydrogen and helium by nuclear reactions in stellar interiors. 1991 Sun (Baltimore) 18 Aug. (O.C. section) 36/3 The admiral of an atomic submarine tries to stop the Van Allen radiation belt from cooking Earth. 1998 E. Hecht Physics: Algebra/Trig (ed. 2) xxx. 1083 After cooking for a few months, intensely radioactive slugs of U-238 were taken out of the reactor. II. Figurative senses. 5. transitive. To prepare, develop, or elaborate (something); to devise, concoct. In later use frequently with somewhat negative connotations, especially of deception or fabrication. Cf. to cook up 2 at Phrasal verbs, which is now more common.Early examples show the word used in figurative contexts with allusion to the preparation of food (cf. sense 1b). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > contrive, devise, or invent [verb (transitive)] findeOE conceive1340 seek1340 brewc1386 divine1393 to find outc1405 to search outc1425 to find up?c1430 forgec1430 upfindc1440 commentc1450 to dream out1533 inventa1538 father1548 spina1575 coin1580 conceit1591 mint1593 spawn1594 cook1599 infantize1619 fabulize1633 notionate1645 to make upc1650 to spin outa1651 to cook up1655 to strike out1735 mother1788 to think up1855 to noodle out1950 gin1980 1599 S. Gardiner Portraitur of Prodigal Sonne iii. xi. 264 The truth of Gods word is full of sucke and sappe, it is meate that may be rellished without curious cooking it. a1640 W. Fenner Christs Alarm (1646) 149 As Rebeccah cookt the Venison, but Isaac gave the blessing. So we may cooke the Word for you, but the blessing is in Christs hands. 1651 T. L. To Church of Rome in Πολύπενϑεος Θρηνωδία 19 How may he cook or spice his Commandements, to have them approved of your mouths? 1816 W. Scott Antiquary II. xii. 315 I got that job cookit. 1859 M. Napier Mem. Life Visct. Dundee I. ii. 353 Lauderdale..was cooked into such a loyalist..by eleven years of durance in the Tower. 1889 G. Allen Tents of Shem I. viii. 145 To inspect the sketch he was busily cooking. 1925 Variety 17 June 25/4 Silvera and Messell have cooked a story that he murdered Walford. 2011 P. McLain Paris Wife vi. 41 In the middle of January, my friend Leticia Parker and I cooked a plan to get me there. 6. transitive. colloquial. To alter (something) in a dishonest, underhand, or surreptitious manner; to tamper with, to doctor; to falsify.See also to cook the books at Phrases 1. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > false assertion > assert falsely [verb (transitive)] > devise unscrupulously cook1636 sham1679 to cook up1686 to trump upa1774 fake1810 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > duping, making a fool of > befool, cheat, dupe [verb (transitive)] > alter or manipulate something for the purpose of deception cook1636 doctor1750 fake1819 rig1826 ready2004 1636 Earl of Strafford Let. 25 July (1739) II. 16 The Proof was once clear, however they have cook'd it since. 1763 North Briton 19 July 56 The military English shall be considered..when all the Scots are provided for. But..is not the army already surcharged with them? The army list (cooked as it is) can best determine that point. 1865 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. (ed. 6) I. i. ix. §2 172 These accounts, even if cooked, still exercise some check. 1872 J. A. H. Murray in Complaynt Scotl. Introd. p. cxvii The editor was attacked by..Pinkerton, for not printing the text ‘as a classic’, i.e. cooking the spelling, &c., as he himself would have done. 1878 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. III. xx. 410 Occasionally the sealers may have quietly ‘cooked’ the return. 1972 Harper's Mag. Mar. 88/3 With respect to some of the figures, she appears to have been cooking her data. 2010 F. M. Frohock Beyond 136 He had been an executive in a bank that was robbed by two masked men. It happened to be a bank in which he was quietly stealing money by cooking the accounts. 7. transitive. slang. To inflict great and irretrievable damage on (a person or thing); to ruin. Cf. to cook one's goose at goose n. 1d. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > bring to ruin or put an end to undoc950 shendOE forfarea1000 endc1000 to do awayOE aquenchc1175 slayc1175 slayc1175 stathea1200 tinea1300 to-spilla1300 batec1300 bleschea1325 honisha1325 leesea1325 wastec1325 stanch1338 corrumpa1340 destroy1340 to put awayc1350 dissolvec1374 supplanta1382 to-shend1382 aneantizec1384 avoidc1384 to put outa1398 beshenda1400 swelta1400 amortizec1405 distract1413 consumec1425 shelfc1425 abroge1427 downthringc1430 kill1435 poisonc1450 defeat1474 perish1509 to blow away1523 abrogatea1529 to prick (also turn, pitch) over the perka1529 dash?1529 to bring (also send) to (the) pot1531 put in the pot1531 wipea1538 extermine1539 fatec1540 peppera1550 disappoint1563 to put (also set) beside the saddle1563 to cut the throat of1565 to throw (also turn, etc.) over the perch1568 to make a hand of (also on, with)1569 demolish1570 to break the neck of1576 to make shipwreck of1577 spoil1578 to knock on (in) the head (also rarely at head)1579 cipher1589 ruinate1590 to cut off by the shins1592 shipwreck1599 exterminate1605 finish1611 damnify1612 ravel1614 braina1616 stagger1629 unrivet1630 consummate1634 pulverizea1640 baffle1649 devil1652 to blow up1660 feague1668 shatter1683 cook1708 to die away1748 to prove fatal (to)1759 to knock up1764 to knock (or kick) the hindsight out or off1834 to put the kibosh on1834 to cook (rarely do) one's goose1835 kibosh1841 to chaw up1843 cooper1851 to jack up1870 scuttle1888 to bugger up1891 jigger1895 torpedo1895 on the fritz1900 to put paid to1901 rot1908 down and out1916 scuppera1918 to put the skids under1918 stonker1919 liquidate1924 to screw up1933 cruel1934 to dig the grave of1934 pox1935 blow1936 to hit for six1937 to piss up1937 to dust off1938 zap1976 the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > destroy [verb (transitive)] > destroy or ruin a person spillc950 amarOE smitelOE aspillc1175 mischievec1325 to bid (something) misadventurec1330 mara1375 fordoc1380 undo1390 wrack1564 to make roast meat of (also for)1565 wrake1567 wreck1590 speed1594 feeze1609 to do a person's business1667 cook1708 to settle a person's hash1795 diddle1806 to fix1836 raddle1951 1708 Rehearsal 11 Aug. 2/1 Then he tells you how they Cook'd this King of their own making. 1836 Cornwall Chron. (Launceston, Austral.) 18 June With extra costs and extra fees These vile attorneys always cook you. 1861 in H. Mayhew London Labour (new ed.) III. 350/2 When..the cabs that carry four, come in, they cooked the hackney-coachmen in no time. 1900 N.Z. Mail 5 Apr. 24/1 According to Parisinana, in the ‘Bulletin’, the Comedie was becoming played out. He says: Three things, within the last twenty years, have been enough to ‘cook’ it: the withdrawal of Bernhardt, that of Coquelin, and the production of Cyrano de Bergerac at another theatre. 2013 D. M. Cataneo Eggplant Alley xxv. 215 In any other sport, the two stupid plays would have cooked him for good. 8. transitive. Chess. To find an alternative solution to (a problem); (of a move, solution, etc.) to spoil (a problem) by differing from the intended solution. Cf. cook n.¹ 5. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > board game > chess > [verb (transitive)] > tactics to shut up1474 to take upc1475 neck1597 catch1674 to discover check1688 attack1735 retreat1744 fork1745 pin1745 retake1750 guard1761 interpose1761 castle1764 retract1777 to take (a pawn) en passant1818 capture1820 decline1847 cook1851 undouble1868 unpin1878 counter1890 fidate1910 sacrifice1915 fianchetto1927 1851 Chess Player 16 Aug. 40 Mr. Alexander's collection of two thousand problems contains many faulty positions, and we shall now and then cook some of them, which may amuse you and many of our readers. 1880 Chess-monthly Sept. 32 Your second solution of No. 110—1 P t. P—is, unfortunately, right, and cooks the problem. 1911 Amer. Chess Bull Aug. 192 Mr. J. C. J. Wainwright ‘Cooks’ the problem by 1 QB8ch, followed by QB4ch! 1959 Chess Life 5 Nov. 7/3 A fine work gone wrong. Intention 1. Q-B3 waiting, with excellent play. Cooked by 1. NxP. Many solvers found both cook and intended solution. 1970 Chess Life & Rev. Jan. 50/1 Mr. Arnold cooks it by 10... Larry Evans rightly confirms the cook. 9. intransitive. colloquial (originally U.S.). To happen, to be going on; to be under way. Usually in the progressive, esp. in what's cooking?: ‘what's going on?’, ‘what's happening?’. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [verb (intransitive)] becomec888 i-tidec888 falleOE ywortheOE i-limp975 belimpOE i-timeOE worthOE tidea1131 goa1200 arearc1275 syec1275 betide1297 fere1297 risea1350 to come aboutc1350 overcomea1382 passa1393 comea1400 to come in (also to, on, etc.) placea1400 eschew?a1400 chevec1400 shapec1400 hold1462 to come (also go) to pass1481 proceed?1518 occura1522 bechance1527 overpass1530 sorta1535 succeed1537 adventurec1540 to fall toc1540 success1545 to fall forth1569 fadge1573 beword?1577 to fall in1578 happen1580 event1590 arrive1600 offer1601 grow1614 fudge1615 incur1626 evene1654 obvene1654 to take place1770 transpire1775 to go on1873 to show up1879 materialize1885 break1914 cook1932 to go down1946 the world > existence and causation > occurrence > [phrase] > what's happening? what's cooking?1932 gwan1945 1932 Cambridge (Mass.) Sentinel 7 May 8/3 What's cooking, ladies? A plot against the kind and loving Jeffersonian Democrats? 1942 R. Chandler High Window 70 It stopped at six, I got out, and the old man leaned out of the car to spit and said in a dull voice: ‘What's cookin'?’ 1942 Washington Post 18 Oct. l8/2 Plenty cookin' these weeks, chillun. To wit: Sonny Dunham at the Roosevelt, [etc.]. 1943 Boys' Life July 22/4 The line crews watched and speculated. Something big was cooking; something big was going to break. 1973 Albuquerque (New Mexico) Jrnl. 5 July a5/4 There is a federal regulation requiring planes to be at least 1000 feet over cities. I often see our small Albuquerque police plane at lower altitudes over the city. What cooks? 1996 A. Ghosh Calcutta Chromosome (1997) xv. 105 They can't exactly walk up to him and say, ‘Hey there, Ron, what's cooking?’ 10. slang (originally U.S.). Cf. to cook with gas at Phrases 3. a. intransitive. Of a band, musician, or singer: to perform with excitement, inspiration, or verve.Originally and frequently in the context of jazz music. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > perform music [verb (intransitive)] > specific style or technique > in jazz go1926 ride1929 swing1931 tear1932 to play (it) straight1933 groove1935 riff1935 give1936 jumpc1938 to beat it out1945 walk1951 cook1954 move1955 wail1955 stretch1961 1954 Courier (Pittsburgh) 6 Feb. (City ed.) 19/3 She [sc. Ann Nichols] knows we'll all be lampin' her, and we know that she'll be cookin'! 1968 Crescendo June 12/2 The band used to get up on the bandstand and really cook. 1989 B. Spitz Dylan xvii. 307 The band really cooked, but it was obvious they were losing the battle to an unruly audience. 2010 J. Kaplan Frank xxxiv. 616 The second Frank sang, ‘got the string around my fing-er’, the brass kicked—BANG!—and the band was cooking. b. intransitive. More generally (of a person or thing): to act or proceed with vigour or enthusiasm; to perform very well. ΚΠ 1971 E. Sanders Family ii. 61 Manson was really cooking in his Jesus image—kissing feet and granting immortality as never before. 1984 Runner Oct. 102/2 Her time was quite fast for a heat... ‘She's cooking,’ said..the American women's coach. 1992 City Limits 2 July 38/1 Dress very smart and arrive around midnight—when it starts to cook. 2010 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 1 July e2 The best time to have raised the minimum wage would have been a couple of years ago when the economy was cooking. Phrases P1. to cook the books: to fraudulently alter account books or other financial records; (also later in extended use) to alter any factual evidence in order to deceive or to suit a particular purpose. See sense 6. ΚΠ 1850 Morning Chron. 22 Jan. 3/1 The mode which Stratton adopted to mystify the accounts, and to ‘cook’ the books of the bank,..was only to be discovered by the closest investigation. 1924 D. Hammett Big Bk. of Continental Op (2017) 205/2 Your husband had been cooking the books for some time, and got into his partner for something like $200,000 before Ogburn got wise to it. 2003 Independent 4 Dec. (Review section) 3/3 There is no scientific debate in which the White House has cooked the books more than that of global warming. The Bush administration has altered, suppressed or attempted to discredit close to a dozen major reports on the subject. P2. Originally North American. to cook up a storm: to cause a fuss or commotion; (also) to generate excitement, to make an impact.In quot. 1924 with reference to a literal storm generated by particular weather conditions. ΚΠ 1924 Brazil (Indiana) Daily Times 22 Sept. 1/3 The hot wave..cooked up a severe storm which swept down on us Sunday evening.] 1959 Moline (Illinois) Daily Disp. 3 Sept. 19/4 What do you think of a boy who gets mad about little things, and won't explain why he's cooked up a storm? 2018 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 22 Sept. (Culture section) e6 Rewind to the early '90s and British rock band the Charlatans were cooking up a storm with their infectious blend of old soul, dance beats, alt-rock guitars and plaintive vocals. P3. slang (originally U.S.). to cook with gas: to do something very well, to succeed; to be on the right path. Also similarly to cook with electricity, to cook with radar, to cook on the front burner, etc. Usually in the progressive, e.g. you're cooking with gas. ΚΠ 1940 Variety 18 Sept. 30/3 New musical show ‘Ray Bolger's Dancing School’, was waxed for agency auditioning last week. One of the tunes from the series, ‘Now You're Cooking with Gas’, has already been acquired for publication by BMI. 1941 Kansas City (Missouri) Star 23 Feb. (Comics section) Now you're cookin' with electricity! 1942 Time 27 Apr. 84/3 Many a student..figured that..Thurman Arnold was cooking with gas. 1943 N.Y. Times 9 May ii. 5/4 Brother, when you are cooking with both burners the fiddle is out. 1946 F. Wakeman Hucksters (1947) xv. 201 Vic said, ‘Good boy, Georgie. Now you're cooking with radar.’ 1962 ‘K. Orvis’ Damned & Destroyed xi. 77 Those Mounties cook with gas. With gas, brother—they're murder. 1973 Press-Courier (Oxnard, Calif.) 13 Mar. 21 Emverzo then got cooking on the front burner with a pair of direct hits from 20 to 24 feet out. 2014 Hampstead & Highgate Express (Nexis) 2 Jan. Oh, oh that's marvellous. Now we're really getting somewhere. Now we're cooking with gas. P4. to cook a person's goose: see goose n. 1d. Phrasal verbs With adverbs in specialized senses. to cook down transitive. To bring (liquid or partially liquid food) to a smaller volume, and hence to a greater concentration or a thicker consistency, usually by boiling; to reduce by cooking. ΚΠ 1850 Ohio Cultivator 1 Jan. 14/2 If the fruit was juicy and easily cooked, the syrup would probably need cooking down..till it had become quite thick. 1925 H. B. Dodd & J. L. Dodd Bohemian Eats San Francisco One [dessert] that is particularly liked is called ‘membrillo’, made of the quince, cooked down into a heavy syrup and molded into blocks. 2015 A. Duclos Plantiful Table 216/2 Slowly cook the onions down until they're completely translucent, about 25 minutes. to cook off Military. intransitive. Of ammunition or explosives: to detonate spontaneously as a result of overheating. Cf. cook-off n. 2. ΚΠ 1945 Tech Engin. News Mar. 208/1 The mechanical contour is an additional safeguard which prevents guns from pointing at personnel on the plane. This is done because cartridges sometimes ‘cook off’ in a hot barrel. 1995 J. Winton Signals from Falklands 91 Two Seacat missiles and probably some other explosives cooked off, and the blast..blew the door off on the upper deck. 2016 R. F. Fischer Combat Bandsman v. 114 After five hours of nonstop detonations the last of the ammunition at the dump finally cooked off. to cook out 1. transitive. To remove (something) by cooking or heating; also figurative. ΚΠ 1843 Farmer's Monthly Visitor 31 July 102/1 The butter.., the flavor of which is so bad as to render it entirely unfit for the table, is purchased by bakers, who manage to cook out the bad qualities. 1882 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 23 May 1581/1 The process of purifying the wood, consisting in cooking out the resinous matters..by steam. 1990 Countryside Winter 52/2 Donnell uses the cold method of soap making. She brings all the ingredients to a temperature warm enough to pasteurize the milk and to kill any possible bacteria, but cool enough to avoid cooking out the glycerin. 2003 Independent 27 Jan. i. 3/3 ‘That [worm] can really cook out the damage!’ wrote Matt, a systems administrator, on the programmers' site Slashdot. 2. intransitive. To prepare a meal by cooking food outdoors, typically on a barbecue or over a campfire. Cf. cookout n.Earliest as the gerund or verbal noun. ΚΠ 1921 E. Ferber Girls in Woman's Home Compan. Sept. 81/2 Lottie was expert at what she called ‘cooking out’. She could build a three-section fire with incredibly little fuel and only one match. 1946 S. Plath Let. 8 July (2017) I. 57 Our unit cooked out on the beach... The other half had breakfast in the hall. 2011 Frederick (Maryland) News-Post 29 Jan. d5/2 For those who love to cook out, having an outdoor kitchen may be ideal. to cook up 1. a. transitive. To prepare (food for a meal) by combining and heating the ingredients; to prepare (a cooked meal). ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > cooking > cook [verb (transitive)] cook1596 concoct1607 to cook up1654 1654 J. Speed in E. Gayton Pleasant Notes Don Quixot sig. *^v Don's cook'd up according to the Lawes Of his owne Country Feasts, lesse meat then sauce. 1680 Sir T. Browne Let.* 7 July in Wks. (1852) III. 468 I know no other animal wherein the rectum is cooked up. 1803 ‘C. Caustic’ Terrible Tractoration (ed. 2) iii. 122 Who cook up most delicious farings From cheese rinds. 1990 P. Auster Music of Chance v. 112 He asked Louise to cook up some breakfast for them. 2013 E. Laybourne Sky on Fire xi. 102 I was so hungry, we just cooked up some franks and beans. b. transitive. To prepare (a drug, esp. opium or heroin) for immediate use by heating it over a flame; = sense 3a. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > use of drugs and poison > take drugs [verb (transitive)] > prepare opium cook1852 to cook up1894 1894 G. Litton in Proc. Royal Comm. Opium V. App. XXVI. 224/1 in Parl. Papers (C.7473) LXII. 531 The ‘second opium’ or ‘opium excrement’..is a preparation cooked up from the refuse left in the opium pipe. 1920 F. Williams Hop-Heads 17 Dawson Sue lost no time in ‘cooking up a shot’ for her company. 1982 U.S. News & World Rep. (Nexis) 27 Dec. 60 I was cooking up ‘hits’ every 30 minutes. 2010 J. McGregor Even Dogs (2011) iii. 79 Getting a bag and then finding somewhere to go to cook it up in a spoon and dig it into your arm or your leg or that mighty old femoral vein down in between your thighs. 2. transitive. To prepare, develop, or elaborate (something); to devise, concoct. In later use frequently with somewhat negative connotations, especially of deception or fabrication. Cf. sense 5.Early examples show the word used in figurative contexts with allusion to the preparation of food (cf. sense 1b). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > contrive, devise, or invent [verb (transitive)] findeOE conceive1340 seek1340 brewc1386 divine1393 to find outc1405 to search outc1425 to find up?c1430 forgec1430 upfindc1440 commentc1450 to dream out1533 inventa1538 father1548 spina1575 coin1580 conceit1591 mint1593 spawn1594 cook1599 infantize1619 fabulize1633 notionate1645 to make upc1650 to spin outa1651 to cook up1655 to strike out1735 mother1788 to think up1855 to noodle out1950 gin1980 1655 J. Sergeant Schism Dis-arm'd 11 All the substantial part being already confuted an hundred times over, and only the cooking it up changed. 1684 Tryal L. Braddon & H. Speke 29 It is not taken upon Oath before any Magistrate, but cooked up to amuse the Country. 1751 J. Tasker Sufficient Reasons Relig., Conscientious & Peaceable Separation Church of Eng. 13 The reasons he has cook'd up for us..perhaps may serve him for starting-holes, when he is press'd. 1787 ‘P. Pindar’ Lousiad: Canto II 37 in Lousiad: Canto I (ed. 4) I've cook'd up a Petition. 1820 Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 5 Aug. 158 These Addresses are not things cooked up by the lick-spittles of Boroughmongers;..but they come spontaneously from the people. a1927 D. Hammett Nightmare Town (1999) 208 Tennant reeled off the story he and the girl had cooked up. 1956 Time-Bull. (Van Wert, Ohio) 2 July 4/8 By 1960 we can have an anti-missile missile. That leaves it up to someone to cook up an anti-anti-missile missile. 2007 Daily Tel. 29 June 33/1 Together, they cook up a plan to kill off her husband. 3. transitive. colloquial. To alter (something) in a dishonest, underhand, or surreptitious manner; to tamper with, to doctor; to falsify. Cf. sense 6, which is more common. ΘΚΠ the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > defrauding or swindling > perpetrate (a swindle) [verb (transitive)] nunclea1676 to cook up1686 plant1811 to work off1813 the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > false assertion > assert falsely [verb (transitive)] > devise unscrupulously cook1636 sham1679 to cook up1686 to trump upa1774 fake1810 1686 J. Weldon tr. Leon de Vennes Second Nativity of Jesus i. iv. 38 We are not as some people who Adulterate, or, according to the Greek Translation, Who cook up the word of God. 1751 T. Smollett Peregrine Pickle IV. cvi. 227 Some falsified printed accounts, artfully cooked up, on purpose to mislead and deceive. 1867 Ada Moore's Story III. xii. 122 They had ‘cooked up’ the accounts, as the leading article said, and had finally absconded together. 1987 A. Djoleto Hurricane of Dust xx. 95 The People's Benefit Investigation Squad will probe you and if you are found to be playing tricks or cook up the books you lose the pharmacy to the state. Compounds Originally North American. With the sense ‘cooking’. cook camp n. North American the part of a camp in which the cooking is done; esp. a building serving as kitchen and eating-room; a cookhouse. ΚΠ 1886 Warren (Pa.) Sunday Mirror 2 May We don't need any curtain on the stage, nor any tables, nor spoons, nor oyster dishes, nor any cook camp attached to the church. 1935 A. Sullivan Great Divide 194 There was..the cook camp with its log annex for supplies and fresh beef. 2010 J. Gordon & J. Baumgardner Party like Rock Star iv. 48/3 Since the kitchen is probably far away, you will need to set up a cook camp nearby. cook fire n. North American an open fire used for cooking food, typically in a camp; cf. camp-fire n. at camp n.² Compounds 2. ΚΠ 1852 H. Stansbury Explor. & Surv. Valley Great Salt Lake (U.S. Army: Corps Topogr. Engineers) vii. 148 While engaged in the survey of the Utah Valley, we were no little annoyed by numbers of the latter tribe, who hung around the camp, crowding the cook-fires. 1861 Daily Cleveland (Ohio) Herald 7 June Our Camp is laid out according to United States military regulations... The cook fires are just in rear of the company barracks. 1951 L. Dietz Jeff White xii. 115 Cold and exhausted, he rolled in for the night without bothering to light a cook fire. 2012 Crossville (Tennessee) Chron. (Nexis) 24 May Some river goers..had set up camp for the night, and their cook fires wafted out over the water to us. cookpot n. a pot used for cooking; a cooking pot. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > cooking vessel or pot > [noun] pot?c1225 flesh-kit1575 plasma1616 vessel1719 pot-au-feu1792 cookpot1835 cooker1849 hook-pot1867 canaree1895 1835 Nantucket Inquirer 13 May 2/3 The savage..demanded in addition, an iron cook pot, a chest, a trunk, two kegs of powder, and musket and cannon balls. 1884 Internat. Health Exhib. Official Catal. 23/2 A new patent colander saucepan and cook-pot. 1948 H. Halsted How to live in Woods xii. 220 Bring 1 quart of water to a furious boil, in a fairly large cook pot, and trickle in the rice. 2018 Courier Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 29 July 61 Buy some smaller bakeware, frying pans, ceramic cookpots, ramekins and even muffin tins for smaller serve baking. cook shack n. North American a hut or cabin esp. in a camp, in which food is prepared and often also served and eaten. ΚΠ 1895 Fort Morgan (Colorado) Times 26 Apr. The pugilist of the ditch camp..went to the camp on Tuesday evening last and broke through the window of the cook shack. 1909 R. A. Wason Happy Hawkins 38 Jabez changed directions for the cook shack. 1957 J. Kerouac On the Road ii. v. 132 Old bum Dean Moriarty.., riding freights, working as a scullion in the railroad cookshacks. 2018 Duluth (Minnesota) News-Tribune (Nexis) 23 Sept. Over in the cook shack a late breakfast was being readied. cookstove n. U.S. a stove used for cooking; a cooking stove. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [noun] range1423 buccan1611 fire-range1668 stew-stove1727 screw-range1772 stew-hole1780 cooking stove1796 range stove1803 cooking range1805 cookstove1820 kitchener1829 gas range1853 cooker1860 gas cooker1873 Soyer's stove1878 hay-box1885 blazer1889 machine oven1890 paraffin stove1891 primus1893 electric cooker1894 electric range1894 Yukon stove1898 fireless cooker1904 picnic stove1910 pressure stove1914 Tommy cooker1915 rangette1922 Aga1931 barbecue1931 Rayburn1947 sigri1949 jiko1973 1820 National Advocate (N.Y.) 23 June It [sc. the fire] commenced at Mr. Davis' stable and wood house, from a cook stove. 1853 S. Moodie Life in Clearings 373 I have seen the grandmother in a wealthy family ironing the fine linen, or broiling over the cook-stove. 1913 G. Stratton-Porter Laddie (1917) i. 4 They went to bring wood for the cookstove. 1930 Times Educ. Suppl. 23 Aug. p. i/3 A voyage is dull without tea and life a cheerless blank without a cookstove. 2007 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Jan. 15/3 Traditional cookstoves, fueled by wood and crop waste, emit smoke containing particles. cook tent n. U.S. a tent in which food is cooked and often also eaten. ΚΠ 1721 J. Colbatch Observ. Scheme Lately Published ix. 14 For each Cook-Tent, that there be provided two Coppers, of about twenty Gallons each. 1885 E. Custer Boots & Saddles 53 We looked out, to find the cook-tent blown flat to the ground. 1956 H. Gold Man who was not with It (1965) ii. 14 Our cooktent had a pleasant business warmth, too. 2016 Bismarck (N. Dakota) Tribune (Nexis) 16 Dec. a2 We slept in tents, ate in a cook tent, some years it snowed, most years it rained at least once and it was rare when the weather was nice. cooktop n. originally U.S. (now chiefly North American, Australian, and New Zealand) a cooking unit with hotplates or burners, esp. one built into or on top of a kitchen cabinet. ΘΚΠ the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > stove or cooker > [noun] > part of hotplate1803 firebox1838 range cock1842 hearth1845 boiling ring1894 griller1895 grill1907 ring1911 cooktop1941 hob1962 back burner1963 splashplate1967 1941 Montgomery Ward Catal. 1941–2 Fall & Winter 802/2 (advt.) Massive Polished Rust-Resisting Cooktop with Hot Blast Feature. 1970 Kitchen & Bath Guide (House & Garden) 100/1 This model has glass ceramic electric cooktop. 2004 Washington Post 14 Oct. (Home ed.) h5/1 The kitchen also has..the electric cooktop and down-draft fan. cook wagon n. U.S. a wagon fitted with cooking equipment and used as a mobile kitchen, esp. to feed workers on a cattle ranch. ΚΠ 1865 Index Rep. Comm. Senate U.S. p. iii, in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (38th Congr., 2nd Sess.) IV Amoskeag Manufacturing Company for regimental cook wagons. 1904 S. E. White Blazed Trail Stories ii. x. 182 The ponies, and the cook-wagon, and the cook..had done the alkali for three days. 2017 Tel.-Herald (Dubuque, Iowa) (Nexis) 11 Oct. b6 He and Brenda drove the cook wagon and cooked three meals a day for the Colts Drum & Bugle Corp for nine summers. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online June 2022). cookv.² Brit. /kʊk/, U.S. /kʊk/, Scottish English /kuk/ Forms: 1700s– cook, 1800s couk, 1800s–1900s kook. Origin: Of uncertain origin. Perhaps a borrowing from German. Etymon: German kucken. Etymology: Origin uncertain. Perhaps < German kucken to look, peep (1391), apparently an alteration of gucken , in the same sense (14th cent.; of uncertain origin), after Middle Low German kīken (German regional (Low German) kieken : see keek v.). If this etymology is correct, sense 2 (although attested slightly later) would be the primary sense. Compare earlier keek v. Scottish. rare. †1. intransitive. To disappear suddenly. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 162 Whyles glitter'd to the nightly rays, Wi' bickerin, dancin dazzle; Whyles cooket underneath the braes, Below the spreading hazle. 2. intransitive. To look quickly or steal a glance at something; to peep, peer. ΚΠ 1821 J. Galt Ayrshire Legatees in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Jan. 371/1 The eye of the public, which is of itself sufficiently prone to keek and kook, in every possible way, for a glimpse of a black story. 1937 L. McInnes in Sc. National Dict. (1952) III. 195/1 I tried tae hide behunt a big boady in the sate afront o' me, so's the minister couldna see me, but I nottist him cookan roon every noo an' again tae watch hoo I was gettan on. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.¹OEn.²a1705v.¹c1400v.²1786
随便看	vorlages vorlaufer vorous vorpal vorspiel vorstellung vortex vortex shedding vortex sheet vortex street vortex turbine vortex wheel vortex-atom vortex-filament vortex-line vortex-matter vortex-motion vortex-ring vortexatom vortexes vortexfilament vortexline vortexmatter vortexmotion vortexring

cookn.1

Phrases

Compounds

Derivatives

cookn.2

Compounds

cookv.1

Phrases

Phrasal verbs

Compounds

cookv.2

cookn.¹

cookn.²

cookv.¹

cookv.²