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Glite Dictionary
to cook up a plan

to cook up a plan

1 4.4
To think of a clever or secret plan to do something
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : idear un plan
  • And, bless him, the fellow already has cooked up a plan to explain the shoemaker’s presence until we might straighten this thing out once and for all.

Examples

  • Before we can say, "Let's get him," Schearer and I are cooking up a plan.

  • Her lawyer is cooking up a plan to get some of the charges against her dropped.

  • He cooks up a plan that will enlist Russia's help in taking out ICO, in exchange for oil drilling zones.

Synonyms

to design
vsto cook up a plan
∞ 2.6

To plan and make something so it looks and works as needed

is more about clever secret strategy invention rather than technical or visual work
to think of
vsto cook up a plan
866 2.1

Invent a plan or idea in your mind

is more about devising clever secret strategies rather than general idea creation
to devise
vsto cook up a plan
135 4.8

To plan or invent something carefully

adds a tone of secret cleverness and strategic intent instead of mere careful work
to think up
vsto cook up a plan
48 3.2

To make up an idea, plan, or excuse

adds secrecy and clever strategic invention beyond simple idea generation
to concoct
vsto cook up a plan
46 6.0

Make up a story or excuse to trick people

leans more toward clever secret strategy creation rather than general fabrication
to cook up
vsto cook up a plan
  • Informal
37 5.6

Invent a story or excuse to trick people

adds the sense of clever secret strategy rather than merely inventing something
to hatch
vsto cook up a plan
35 5.2

To make a plan in secret, often to surprise someone

stresses clever secret invention of strategies rather than open planning
to strategize
vsto cook up a plan
28 5.7

To plan the best way to reach a goal

is closer when plans are clever and secret rather than just goal oriented
to contrive
vsto cook up a plan
13 7.3

To invent a clever plan or excuse

is similar but emphasizes secretive or strategic motives rather than just cleverness
to hatch a plan
vsto cook up a plan
12 3.6

To make a secret or careful plan to do something

is about inventing strategies often with clever secrecy rather than general planning
to hatch a scheme
vsto cook up a plan
1 6.3

Plan something in secret, often to trick or surprise others

focuses more on clever, sometimes hidden strategy making rather than plain designing

Antonyms

to abandon
401 3.8

Stop supporting an idea or plan

How Clever

to plot
120 4.8
to cook up a plan
  • Informal
1 4.4
to think up
48 3.2
to come up with
∞ 2.7
to plan
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

cook up a plan infinitive
cooked up a plan past
cooked up a plan past participle
cooking up a plan present participle
cooks up a plan third person singular

Morphology

cook + up + a + plan

The sense 'to invent or devise' is metaphorically related to 'cook' (prepare or concoct) with 'up' adding a sense of completion, so a learner who knows the constituents can plausibly infer that it means to make or create a plan. However, the idiomatic nuance (e.g., cleverness or secrecy) and the phrasal-verb behavior are not fully predictable from the parts, so the expression is only partially transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Cook up a plan uses the image of cooking: to cook is to mix ingredients and prepare a dish, often carefully or quietly. So to cook up a plan means 'to invent or create a plan', often in a clever or secret way.