cookbook

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

cookbook
    n 1: a book of recipes and cooking directions [syn: {cookbook},
         {cookery book}]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Cookbook \Cook"book`\ (-b[oo^]k`), n.
   A book of directions and receipts for cooking; a cookery
   book. [U.S.]
   [1913 Webster]

         "Just How": a key to the cookbooks.      --Mrs. A. D.
                                                  T. Whitney.
   [1913 Webster]

from Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003)

cookbook
 n.

   [from amateur electronics and radio] A book of small code segments
   that the reader can use to do various {magic} things in programs.
   Cookbooks, slavishly followed, can lead one into {voodoo programming},
   but are useful for hackers trying to {monkey up} small programs in
   unknown languages. This function is analogous to the role of
   phrasebooks in human languages.

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

cookbook

   <programming> (From amateur electronics and radio) A book of
   small code segments that the reader can use to do various
   {magic} things in programs.

   One current example is the "{PostScript} Language Tutorial and
   Cookbook" by Adobe Systems, Inc (Addison-Wesley, ISBN
   0-201-10179-3), also known as the {Blue Book} which has
   recipes for things like wrapping text around arbitrary curves
   and making 3D fonts.

   Cookbooks, slavishly followed, can lead one into {voodoo
   programming}, but are useful for hackers trying to {monkey up}
   small programs in unknown languages.  This function is
   analogous to the role of phrasebooks in human languages.

   [{Jargon File}]

   (1994-11-04)