cook up
Hatch a scheme
Cook up means to prepare food by cooking, but more often it means to concoct or devise something—usually a scheme, story, or excuse: They cooked up a plan to skip school, She cooked up some excuse about traffic.
The phrase suggests improvisation and often implies the result is dubious or fabricated.
Create through ingenuity
- createCause to exist
- formulateCreate methodically
- hatchOpening in deck or floor
- conceiveForm a mental notion
brainstorm · originate · design · develop · idea · solution · plan · scheme
Deliberate falsehood
- storyAccount of events
- excuseOffered reason for wrongdoing
- alibiDefense of location
- falsehoodDeliberate untrue statement
fiction · tale · pretense · deception · mislead · falsify · invent · fake
Storyline or land parcel
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
- ployCalculated deceptive tactic
ruse · gambit · subterfuge · maneuver · connivance · collusion · hatching · mastermind
Cooking preparation instructions
- ingredientsParts of a mixture
- kitchenFood preparation room
- stoveKitchen heating appliance
- ovenEnclosed cooking chamber
fry · saute · grill · simmer · boil · seasoning · marinate · throw together
Unscripted speech or remark
- wing itAct without preparation
- spontaneousArising without external cause
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
- on-the-flyDone without prior planning
make do · jury-rig · cobble together · throw together · patchwork · MacGyver · resourceful · last-minute
devise
Create through ingenuity
conceive · brainstorm · originate · design · develop · idea · solution · plan · scheme · theory
lie
Deliberate falsehood
falsehood · fiction · tale · pretense · deception · mislead · falsify · invent · fake · bogus
plot
Storyline or land parcel
- conspiracyClandestine coordinated scheming
- machinationCrafty scheming, often hostile
- intrigueSecret plotting or fascination
ploy · ruse · gambit · subterfuge · maneuver · connivance · collusion · hatching · mastermind · orchestrate
recipe
Cooking preparation instructions
- ingredientsParts of a mixture
- kitchenFood preparation room
- stoveKitchen heating appliance
oven · fry · saute · grill · simmer · boil · seasoning · marinate · throw together · prepare
ad-lib
Unscripted speech or remark
- wing itAct without preparation
- spontaneousArising without external cause
- impromptuWithout advance preparation
on-the-fly · make do · jury-rig · cobble together · throw together · patchwork · MacGyver · resourceful · last-minute · quick fix
cook updiscover
Find something unknown
find · uncover · find out · stumble upon · detect
cook uptell the truth
Communicate facts honestly
document · verify · confirm · authenticate · substantiate
cook upbe honest
Speak without deception
come clean · lay one's cards on the table · level with · play it straight
up, cook, cooking, cooks, uncooked, concoct, undercooked, cookout, cookbook