cook something up (to) [exp]

Meaning:

• to have a plan to do something bad or create a problem.

Examples:

1. The two boys are so suspicious. I’m sure they are cooking up in there.
2. The kids were hungry, so I cooked up a quick pasta dish using whatever we had in the fridge.
3. She cooked up an excuse to avoid attending the meeting.
4. The marketing team cooked up a brilliant campaign idea over coffee.
5. They cooked up a plan to surprise their friend on her birthday.
6. He’s always cooking up stories to get out of trouble.