cook 1
— cookable , adj. — cookless , adj.
/kook/ , v.t.
1. to prepare (food) by the use of heat, as by boiling, baking, or roasting.
2. to subject (anything) to the application of heat.
3. Slang. to ruin; spoil.
4. Informal. to falsify, as accounts: to cook the expense figures.
v.i.
5. to prepare food by the use of heat.
6. (of food) to undergo cooking.
7. Slang.
a. to be full of activity and excitement: Las Vegas cooks around the clock.
b. to perform, work, or do in just the right way and with energy and enthusiasm: That new drummer is really cooking tonight. Now you're cooking!
c. to be in preparation; develop: Plans for the new factory have been cooking for several years.
d. to take place; occur; happen: What's cooking at the club?
8. cook off , (of a shell or cartridge) to explode or fire without being triggered as a result of overheating in the chamber of the weapon.
9. cook one's goose . See goose (def. 9).
10. cook the books , Slang. to manipulate the financial records of a company, organization, etc., so as to conceal profits, avoid taxes, or present a false financial report to stockholders.
11. cook up , Informal.
a. to concoct or contrive, often dishonestly: She hastily cooked up an excuse.
b. to falsify: Someone had obviously cooked up the alibi.
n.
12. a person who cooks: The restaurant hired a new cook.
[ bef. 1000; (n.) ME cok ( e ), OE coc (cf. ON kokkr, G Koch, D kok ) cocus, coquus, deriv. of coquere to cook; akin to Gk péptein (see PEPTIC); (v.) late ME coken, deriv. of the n. ]
cook 2
/koohk, kook/ , v.i. Scot.
to hide, esp. outdoors, as by crouching down behind a hedge.
[ 1780-90; perh. b. ME couche bend, stoop (see COUCH) and ME croke bend, stoop (see CROOKED) ]