captain james cook

late 14c., from cook (n.); the figurative sense of “to manipulate, falsify, doctor” is from 1630s. Related: Cooked, cooking. To cook with gas is 1930s jive talk.

In addition to the idioms beginning with cook

• cook someone’s goose
• cook the books
• cook up
• cook with gas

also see:

• chief cook and bottlewasher
• short order (cook)
• too many cooks spoil the broth
• what’s cooking