Cooked
what it means
"We're cooked" is a verdict of hopelessness, usually about an exam, a match or a deadline. "Let him cook" is a completely different phrase meaning let someone continue.
Finished, doomed, or in serious trouble — with no way out.
the origin story
Gaming and sports communities used it for a losing position; it spread widely through Twitch and TikTok around 2022-2023.
It grew alongside the unrelated "let him cook", which means the opposite — trust someone's process. The overlap causes constant confusion, and jokes about the two phrases coexisting are now their own genre.
in the wild
Have you studied at all?
Not one page. We're cooked.
Three down at half time.
Absolutely cooked.
how to use it
- Reacting to a hopeless situation with humour
- Sports, gaming and exam contexts
- Group chats about shared deadlines
- About genuinely serious misfortune
- Interchangeably with "let him cook", which means the opposite
- In professional communication
related terms
receipts
Community feedback
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