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REFERENCE

someone's goose is cooked

idiom
Meaning

All hope is gone; there is no possibility of success; the period of good fortune is over.


Origin

first recorded 19th c. disputed origin

Unclear. Unconvincing claims have been made of the term's origin in Aesop's Fables (The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs) and in Swedish history. Attested as cook someone's goose from 1845.

Examples
SIMPLE

If you miss the deadline again, your goose is cooked.

CONTEXTUAL

The boss found out about the missing money, so he knows his goose is cooked.

COMPLEX

Once the audit revealed the systematic fraud, the manager realized his goose was cooked and resigned immediately.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a wild goose never laid a tame egg

    Most things are inherited and predetermined.

  2. 02

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  3. 03

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  4. 04

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  5. 05

    apple of someone's eye

    The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.

  6. 06

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

  7. 07

    bash someone's face in

    To beat someone violently.

  8. 08

    bash someone's head

    To beat up someone violently.

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