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cook
The term carries a strong association with domesticity and nourishment, evoking the sensory experience of heat, aroma, and preparation. While it can describe a professional, it often implies a more general skill set compared to the specialized training of a chef.
In a figurative sense, the phrase "cook the books" introduces a sharp shift in tone from nurturing to deceptive. This usage specifically targets the fraudulent manipulation of financial records to hide losses or inflate profits, carrying a heavy negative legal and ethical connotation.
Meanings
To prepare food by heating it, typically boiling, baking, roasting, or frying.
I will cook a chicken for dinner tonight.
To perform the act of preparing food for consumption using heat.
He spent the whole afternoon cooking in the kitchen.
Examples
I cook rice.
Can you cook?
She is a cook.
I cooked pasta for lunch.
He is cooking dinner now.
My father is a great cook.
The chef cooked a rare steak.
I love cooking while traveling.
The goblin cooked a strange stew.
The CFO cooked the accounts for years.
I apologize for cooking the data.
Historians found he cooked the records.
Phrasal Verbs
cook up
to invent a story or a plan, often a deceptive one
He tried to cook up a plausible excuse for being late to the meeting.