Food Idioms in English
Idioms are phrases that have a meaning different from the literal meanings of the individual
words. Food idioms are especially fun because they often use familiar food items to convey
ideas or emotions. Here are some popular food idioms in English, along with their meanings and
examples.
1. Piece of Cake
Meaning: Something that is very easy to do.
Example: The math test was a piece of cake; I finished it in 10 minutes!
2. Bring Home the Bacon
Meaning: To earn a living or provide for a family.
Example: My dad works hard to bring home the bacon for us.
3. Apple of My Eye
Meaning: Someone who is very dear or special to you.
Example: My little sister is the apple of my eye; I love her so much!
4. Butterfinger
Meaning: A clumsy person who often drops things.
Example: I’m such a butterfinger; I dropped my phone again!
5. Cool as a Cucumber
Meaning: To remain calm and relaxed, especially in a stressful situation.
Example: Even during the big game, she was cool as a cucumber.
6. Big Cheese
Meaning: An important or influential person.
Example: The principal is the big cheese at our school.
7. Hard Nut to Crack
Meaning: A difficult problem or person to deal with.
Example: Solving this puzzle is a hard nut to crack!
8. Bread
Meaning: Money or income.
Example: I need to save some bread for my new video game.
9. Tea
Meaning: Gossip or news.
Example: Did you hear the tea about the new student?
10. Full of Beans
Meaning: Energetic and lively.
Example: After a good night’s sleep, I feel full of beans!
11. Alike as Two Peas
Meaning: Very similar or identical.
Example: My twin brothers are alike as two peas in a pod.
12. Bad Egg
Meaning: A person who is dishonest or has bad character.
Example: Don’t trust him; he’s a bad egg.
13. Cry Over Spilled Milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.
Example: It’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s just move on!
14. Spill the Beans
Meaning: To reveal a secret.
Example: I can’t believe she spilled the beans about the surprise party!
15. Have Your Cake and Eat It
Meaning: To want to have two good things at the same time, which is usually impossible.
Example: You can’t have your cake and eat it too; you need to choose one.
16. Sell Like Hotcakes
Meaning: To sell very quickly and in large quantities.
Example: The new video game is selling like hotcakes!
17. Bigger Fish to Fry
Meaning: More important matters to deal with.
Example: I can’t worry about that right now; I have bigger fish to fry.
18. Couch Potato
Meaning: A person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching TV.
Example: On weekends, I’m a total couch potato!
19. Eat Humble Pie
Meaning: To admit that you were wrong and apologize.
Example: After losing the game, he had to eat humble pie.
20. Half Baked
Meaning: Not fully thought out or planned.
Example: That idea is half baked; we need to think it through more.
21. In a Nutshell
Meaning: To summarize or explain something briefly.
Example: In a nutshell, we need to work together to finish the project.
22. Take with a Pinch of Salt
Meaning: To not take something too seriously or to be skeptical about it.
Example: I heard a rumor about the school, but I’ll take it with a pinch of salt.
23. All Your Eggs in One Basket
Meaning: To risk everything on a single venture.
Example: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; try to have a backup plan.
24. Bad Apple
Meaning: A person who has a bad influence on others.
Example: One bad apple can spoil the whole group.
