overcook

Everyday

1. To cook food for too long, so it becomes dry, hard, burnt or mushy. tree →
2. (informal) To overdo something, like telling a story with too much drama: «He overcooked the ending.» tree →

In the lessons

In cooking and everyday life it means the food is spoilt by too much heat. In writing or sport (UK informal) it means trying too hard or exaggerating. Phrases: «overcooked vegetables», «overcook the pasta».

Examples

• Don't overcook the pasta or it will go soggy. tree →
• The steak was overcooked and tough. tree →
• Mum overcooked the cake and the edges were black. tree →
• Overcooked broccoli loses its bright green colour. tree →
• The writer overcooked the drama with too many explosions. tree →
• If you overcook an egg, the yolk turns grey-green. tree →

Note

Past form «overcooked». Opposite «undercook» (cooked too little), which can be unsafe for chicken and eggs. Prefix «over-» means «too much».