cook

chief cook and bottle-washer: seechief.

cook the books alter records, especially accounts, with fraudulent intent or in order to mislead. informal

☞ Cook has been used since the mid 17th century in this figurative sense of 'tamper with' or 'manipulate'.

cook on the front burner be on the right lines; be on the way to rapid success. North American informal

☞ Another version of this phrase is cook with gas.

cook someone's goose spoil someone's plans; cause someone's downfall. informal

☞ The underlying idea of this phrase seems to be that a goose was cherished and fattened up for a special occasion, and therefore to cook it prematurely meant to spoil the plans for a feast.

too many cooks spoil the broth if too many people are involved in a task or activity, it will not be done well. proverb

1997Times Too many cooks spoil the broth and at Apple there is now the equivalent of Marco Pierre White, Anton Mosimann and Nico Ladenis.