cooking with gas
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cooking with gas
Where it comes from
Natural gas has been used as a fuel for cooking since at least the 19th century when the petroleum industry came into being and new products and markets were developed. The idiomatic phrase entered the popular lexicon as part of an advertising slogan in late 1930s or early 1940s, for American Gas Association. The slogan "Now you're cooking with gas!" was coined by Deke Houlgate, an employee of AGA, who worked with Bob Hope to insert the phrase into his comedy routines as subtle product placement. The initial idea was to compete with the increasing popularity of electric stoves in the 1930s. However by 1940 it came to have a broader idiomatic usage and figurative meaning because of the way it was used by Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Jack Benny and even a Daffy Duck cartoon, eclipsing its original intent as advertising. The slogan was repeated throughout the 1941-1942 radio season by many radio stars.
phrase cooking on gas
- Functioning particularly effectively; achieving something substantial. She said, 'What are you doing? Tell me, I want to know.' The blind man said, 'We're drawing a cathedral. Me and him are working on it. Press hard,' he said to me. 'That's right. That's good,' he said. 'Sure. You got it, bub. I can tell. You didn't think you could. But you can, can't you? You're cook
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cook, with, gas.
Talk about this word "cooking with gas." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cooking%20with%20gas. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cooking with gas. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cooking%20with%20gas "cooking with gas." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cooking%20with%20gas.Cite this
@misc{cooking_with_gas_2026,
title = {cooking with gas},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cooking%20with%20gas},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
