food idioms

apple of her/his eye
MEANING: someone or something that one likes a lot

EXAMPLE
The little girl is the apple of her grandfather’s eye

bad egg

MEANING: a bad person, bum

EXAMPLE
That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can

big cheese

MEANING: an important person, a leader

EXAMPLE
He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him

bread and butter

(MEANING: basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing

EXAMPLE

The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes
bring home the bacon

MEANING: earn your family’s living

EXAMPLE
Recently he has been working very hard trying to bring home the bacon. He has no time to do anything else

butter up
MEANING: flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship

EXAMPLE

He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won’t have to work so hard

carrot and stick
MEANING: promising to reward or punish someone at the same time

EXAMPLE
The government took a carrot and stick approach to the people who were illegally protesting against the construction of the dam

cool as a cucumber MEANING: calm, not nervous or anxious EXAMPLE He is always as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything couch potato MEANING: a very lazy person EXAMPLE He is a real couch potato and just sits around watching TV and staying indoors all day cream of the crop MEANING: best of a group, the top choice EXAMPLE The company is well-known as a good place to work and is always able to hire the cream of the crop of university graduates. cry over spilt milk MEANING: cry or complain about something that has already happened EXAMPLE Don’t cry over spilt milk. The past is past and you can’t do anything to change it. cup of tea MEANING: something one enjoys or does well EXAMPLE Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening and not go with you eat crow MEANING: admit one is mistaken or defeated, take back a mistaken statement EXAMPLE: I was forced to eat crow and had to apologize for the mistake that I made about the restructuring of our company eat dirt MEANING: act humble, accept another’s insult or bad treatment EXAMPLE We made him eat dirt after he accused us of lying about the salary cut eat humble pie MEANING: be humbled, admit one’s error and apologize EXAMPLE Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after everyone realized that he had made the wrong budget estimate for next year. eat one’s cake and have it too MEANING: use or spend something and still keep it EXAMPLE He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too. eat one’s words MEANING: take back something one has said, admit something is not true EXAMPLE: I told my boss that I would be leaving but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay. egg on MEANING: urge someone on EXAMPLE Many people at the soccer game were egged on by the drunken fans finger in the pie MEANING: participate in something that is happening EXAMPLE: He always tries to keep his finger in the pie so that he can control everything. full of beans MEANING: feel energetic, in high spirits EXAMPLE She is full of beans tonight and doesn’t want to stop talking. gravy train MEANING: a job or work that pays more than it is worth EXAMPLE For many years his job was a real gravy train but now the company has become very strict and will not pay overtime. half-baked MEANING: not thought out or studied carefully EXAMPLE He has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail hand to someone on a silver platter MEANING: give a person something that has not been earned EXAMPLE: His education was handed to him on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish. hard nut to crack MEANING: something or someone difficult to understand or do EXAMPLE He is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack. (get or) have egg on one’s face MEANING: be embarrassed EXAMPLE: He has egg on his face because everyone knows that he was sick at the party. hit the sauce MEANING: drink alcohol - usually regularly EXAMPLE I think that she has begun to hit the sauce since her husband lost his job. hot potato MEANING: a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle EXAMPLE The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a real hot potato for the local town council. in a nutshell MEANING: briefly, in a few words EXAMPLE  We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell what would be happening to everyone next year. in the soup MEANING: in serious trouble, in disorder EXAMPLE  She is really in the soup now. She told her boss that she was sick but he saw her downtown shopping. make one’s mouth water MEANING: look or smell very good, want to eat or drink very much EXAMPLE  The restaurant is supposed to be wonderful and every time that I see the menu it makes my mouth water. nutty as a fruitcake MEANING: crazy EXAMPLE He is a very nice man but he acts strange sometimes and I often think that he is as nutty as a fruitcake. out of the frying pan and into the fire MEANING: go from something bad to something worse EXAMPLE She quit the job because of some small problems but she has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire because now her problems are much worse.   out to lunch MEANING: crazy, mad EXAMPLE She is totally out to lunch and you should never believe what she tells you. piece of cake MEANING: a task that is easily accomplished EXAMPLE It was a piece of cake. I had everything done before lunch this morning. polish the apple MEANING: flatter someone EXAMPLE Nobody likes her because she is always trying to polish the apple with her teacher. souped up MEANING: change something to make it faster or more powerful by changing or adding something EXAMPLE The new car that his neighbor bought is a souped up model of the one that he had last year. salt away MEANING: save money EXAMPLE He has been working there for seven years and has been able to salt away quite a lot of money. sell like hotcakes MEANING: sell quickly or rapidly EXAMPLE The new CD has only been released for about a week but already it is selling like hotcakes. spill the beans MEANING: tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about it EXAMPLE Please don’t spill the beans about my plans to quit working and go back to school next year. stew in one’s own juice MEANING: suffer from something that one has caused to happen EXAMPLE He is the one who caused the problem for himself and is now being forced to stew in his own juice. take with a grain of salt MEANING: accept or believe only part of something EXAMPLE You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt as everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate things when he is speaking. upset the applecart MEANING: ruin a plan or event by surprise or accident EXAMPLE Everything was going well at the company until he came along and upset the apple cart.   worth one’s salt MEANING: being a good worker, worth what one is paid EXAMPLE He has only been working here for a month but over and over he has proved that he is worth his salt