cook up

cook up

1. Literally, to prepare food by cooking it. A noun or pronoun can be used between "cook" and "up." Are you hungry? I can cook something up for you.
2. To devise something. In this usage, the phrase often has a negative connotation. A noun or pronoun can be used between "cook" and "up." What ridiculous scheme has Sam cooked up now?
3. To plan to do something with someone. A noun or pronoun can be used between "cook" and "up." Have you been able to cook anything up with the boss yet? We really need to meet about this issue soon.
See also: cook, up

cooked up

Forced, artificial, or contrived. The phrase is hyphenated when used before a noun. The dog ate your homework, huh? Now there's cooked-up excuse!
See also: cook, up
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

cook something up (with someone)

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

cook something up (with someone)

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

cooked up

contrived. (This is hyphenated before a nominal.) The whole thing seems so cooked up. What a cooked-up story! Of course, you don't believe it.
See also: cook, up
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

cook up

Fabricate, concoct, as in She's always cooking up some excuse. [Colloquial; mid-1700s]
See also: cook, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

cook up

v.
1. To prepare some food: We cooked up a pizza for dinner. I cooked hamburgers up on the grill.
2. Slang To fabricate or concoct something; make up something: Don't cook up an excuse just because you're late. The suspect cooked up an alibi at the last minute.
See also: cook, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.

cooked up

mod. contrived. (This is hyphenated before a nominal.) The whole thing seems so cooked up.
See also: cook, up
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
See also:
  • cooked up
  • cook off
  • fry up
  • cook out
  • cook somebody's goose
  • cook someone's goose
  • cook your goose
  • cook (one's) goose
  • cook goose
  • cook (something) to perfection