cooking with gas
English
Etymology
From the suggestion, heavily advertised in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that stoves using natural gas as a fuel cook more effectively than, for instance, wood-burning or electric stoves.
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Phrase
- (idiomatic) Functioning particularly effectively; achieving something substantial.
- With the updated software, I was really cooking with gas. I got the project done in half the time.
Usage notes
- Grammatically, a use of the "-ing" form of cook + the prepositional phrase "with gas". Together with a form of be this forms a progressive verb predicate. Only rarely are other forms used in this idiomatic sense.
- In the United Kingdom, the phrase "cooking on gas" is more usually used.
See also
References
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