Page 93 - NTC's American Idioms Dictionary

cook someone’s goose

hold. I control the purse strings at our doctor talked on the telłphone. All right.
house. Mr. Williams is the treasurer. He If you can’t behave properly, just sit down
controls the purse strings. here and cool your heels until I call you.
cookŁ someone’ głose to damage or ruin cool someone dłwn and cool someone off
someone.Ł I cooked my own goose by noŁ 1. to reduce someone’sŁangr.Ł(Also lit-
showing up on time. Sally cooked Bob’s eral.) I just stared at him while he was
goose for treating her the way he did. yellng. I knew that would cool him down.
cookŁ something to perfection to cook The coach talked to them for a long
somethingŁperfectly.Ł John cooked my time. That cooled them off. 2. to rduce
steak to perfection. The entire dnner someone’sŁpassionŁorŁlove.Ł When she
was cooked to perfection! slapped him, that really cooled him down.
Dating Mary was too intense, so Bill
cook something up to plot something;Łto im- cooled himoelf off by dØting Sally for a
provise somthing. (Also literal.) Mary while.
cooked an interesting party up at the last
mnute. T Let me see if I can cook up a cool someone off Go to cool someone down.
wØy to get you some money. copŁa pley to plead guilty to a crime in
cookŁtheŁaccounts to cłeat inŁbookkeep- hopesŁof receivingŁaŁlighter punishment.
ing;Łto make the accountsŁappearŁto bal- (Slang, especially criminal slang.) The
ance whenŁtheyŁdo not.Ł Jane was sent robber copped a plea and got oàly two
to jail for cooking the accounts of her years in jail. When you cop a plea, it
mother’s store. It’s hard to tell whether saves the court system a lot of money.
she really cooked the accounts or just did- copŁout to get out of a difficult situation;
n’t know how to add.
to sneakŁ out of aŁ difficult situation.
cookingŁwithŁgas dàingŁthingsŁthe right (Slang.) At the last mnute she copped
way. (Also literal.ŁInfàrmal.ŁFrom anŁad- ouŁ on us. Things were going badly for
vertisingŁ slogan.) That’s great. Now Senator Phillps, so he copped out by
you’re cookng with gas. Things are resigning.
moving along nicely with the project. The a copycat aŁprsonŁwho copiesŁorŁmimics
entire staff is really cookng with gas.
what sàmeone else does.Ł(UsuallyŁjuve-
coolŁas a cucumber Go to (as) cool as a nile.ŁCanŁbe precededŁby be, become, seem
cucumber. like, or act like.) Sally wore a pnk dress
cool down Go to cool off. just like Mary’s. Mary called Sally a copy-
cØt. Bill is such a copycØt. He bought a
CoolŁit! CalmŁdown!;ŁTake it easy!Ł(Slang.) coØt just like mne.
Doà’t get mad, Bob. Cool it! Cool it,
you guys! No fighting around here. costŁan arm andŁa leg to cost too much.
It cost an arm and a leg, oo I didà’t buy
cool off and coolŁdłwn 1. to lose orŁre- it. Why should a lttle plastic part cost
duce heat.Ł I wish my soup would cool an arm and a leg?
off. I’m hungry. It’ll cool down this eve-
ning, after dusk. 2. to let one’s anger die costŁa prettyŁpenny to cost aŁlot of money.
away. I’m sorry I got angry. I’ll cool off I’ll bet that diamond cost a pretty
in Ø minute. Cool off, Tom. There is no penny. You can be sure that house cost
sense getting oo łxcited. 3. to let one’sŁpas- a pretty płnny. It has sevłn bØthrooms.
sion or love die away. TED: Is Bob still coughŁ something up to produce something
in love with Jane? BILL: No, he’s cooled off unwillinglyŁ (that someone hasŁ re-
a lot. TED: I thought that they were quested).Ł(Also literal.ŁInfàrmal.) All
both coolng down.
right, Bill. Cough the stolłn diamonds up
cool one’ heelð to wait (forŁsàmeone).Ł(In- or eloe. Okay, okay. I’ll cough Łhem up.
formal.) I spent all afternoon coolng T Bill had to cough up forty dollars to pØy
my heels in the waiting room while the for the brokłn window.

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