shake and bake

See also: shake-and-bake

English

Alternative forms

• shake-and-bake
• shake 'n bake
• shake 'n' bake

Etymology

From the brand name Shake 'n Bake, a powdered seasoning, so called because one could put it in a plastic bag with meat, then easily season the meat by shaking.

Noun

shake and bake (plural shake and bakes)

1. Something fast, or easy to use or perform; a simple, crude object or action.
   • 2001, Philip Ball, Molecules: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, published 2003, page 24:

     Yet, until the last few decades of the twentieth century, the approach that Levi describes, which chemists like to call ‘shake and bake’, was often the best they could do.

2. (US, military, slang, historical) A non-commissioned officer with little experience, qualified through a special course.

Adjective

shake and bake (comparative more shake and bake, superlative most shake and bake)

1. Crude, unsophisticated; not professionally done, improvised.

See also

• bake-off
• quick-and-dirty
• ready-made