cook up
[verb]
Synonyms: contrive, concoct, devise, dream up, formulate, frame, hatch (up), invent, make up, vamp (up)

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

cook something ↔ up phrasal verb (see also cook)

1. to prepare food, especially quickly:
Every night he cooked up a big casserole.

2. informal to invent an excuse, reason, plan etc, especially one that is slightly dishonest or unlikely to work:
the plan that Graham and Dempster had cooked up

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

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

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

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

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

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

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

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

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cook something up
to cook something, to make some kind of plan; to invent something, to plan or plot something
I do not know what my girlfriend is cooking up for the weekend but we will probably do something interesting.

I do not know what kind of plan she is cooking up but it should be quite interesting.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cook up
to cook something, to make some kind of plan; to invent something, to plan or plot something
I do not know what my girlfriend is cooking up for the weekend but we will probably do something interesting.

I do not know what kind of plan she is cooking up but it should be quite interesting.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

cook up
v., informal To plan and put together; make up; invent.
The boys cooked up an excuse to explain their absence from school.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲