what's cooking

Idioms and Phrases

Also, what's new (with you) ; what's up ; what gives . What's going on, what is happening, as in What's cooking at the office these days? or What's new at your house? or Why are all those cars honking their horns? What's up? or Are you really going to France next week? What gives? The first expression, slang from about 1940, transfers the process of preparing food to other processes. The first variant, a version of “what news are there,” dates from the same period and was given added currency by a popular film and song, What's New, Pussycat? (1965); the title itself became an idiom for a time, what's new, pussycat ? The second variant, a colloquialism from the first half of the 1900s, gained currency in the 1940s from Bugs Bunny cartoons in which the rabbit repeatedly says “What's up, Doc?” The last variant, what gives , may derive from the German equivalent, Was gibt's? Slang from about 1940, it is also used to mean “how are you,” as in Hello Jack—what gives? Also see what's with .

Example Sentences

The Chrisley family launched to reality TV fame in 2013 with the debut of USA Network’s “Chrisley Knows Best,” and inspired a reality TV empire in the following years including the E! spinoff “Growing Up Chrisley” and Julie’s web cooking series “What’s Cooking With Julie Chrisley.”

From Los Angeles Times

There’s a charming movie from 2000 called “What’s Cooking?”

From Los Angeles Times

The Senate is starkly different from what’s cooking in the Republican-run House.

From Washington Times

Julie even hosted the cooking web series “What’s Cooking With Julie Chrisley” on the USA Network website.

From Los Angeles Times

Her menu isn’t a clone of what’s cooking in Falls Church.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• picture
• plan
• project
• recipe
• scheme
• setup
• story