Slang dictionary

let him cook

let her cook, let them cook, let us cook [ let him kook ]

What does let him cook mean?

Let him cook is a slang phrase that means to freely let a person do something they are good at.

Let him cook is one of many variations of the phrase let X cook that is used to refer to letting someone do what they do. Some other examples of variations include let her cook, let them cook, and let us cook.

Let him cook is often used to express a desire that another person be given free rein to do something or not to be held back. For example, let him cook is often used to describe talented athletes who want to compete or men who want to attempt to flirt with women.

Let him cook is also used in memes that include the phrase or a variation of it, such as who let him cook, let that boy cook, or Hold up…let him cook. The meme may use the phrase seriously or jokingly, as when implying that someone is going to do something stupid, do something unimpressive, or fail spectacularly.

Example: Why do they keep benching Patrick in the fourth quarter? Let him cook!

Related words

L + ratio, mid, clout chaser, TikTok

Where does let him cook come from?

person cooking; green filter

The slang let him cook is often attributed to rapper Lil B, who has used it on his social media since at least 2010. Lil B often uses the phrase to mean to let someone do something they are good at, such as making rap music. Lil B often refers to himself as a “master chef” and refers to other talented rappers or people with swag as “cooks.” Lil B also used the cook slang in his music, such as the song “I Cook” (2010), and created a popular dance move that imitated a person cooking.

Fans of Lil B would also use the let him cook slang, usually to describe Lil B himself.

Over time, let him cook spread beyond fans of Lil B. In particular, it was often used to refer to athletes who fans believed were being held back.

Examples of let him cook

Nobody on the Sixers can match up with Jaylen Brown. Let that man cook tonight!
@HipHopDonJ, May 11, 2023
Danger-Russ was supposed to help the Denver Broncos compete with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West, but instead posted a career-worst season that had everyone asking “Why did they let him cook?”
Jon Hoefling, Deadspin, March 2, 2023

Who uses let him cook?

Let him cook and its many variations are commonly used on social media and in memes.

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Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of let him cook like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of let him cook that will help our users expand their word mastery.

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