Idioms about Food :)

[eppie]

When it comes to idioms I prefer those with food in it. 

Here are some examples:

• Cry over spilt milk - To become upset or sad over something that happened in the past.
  
• Cup of tea - To describe something that you like or prefer.
  
• Bring home the bacon - To win or earn some money something to live.
  
• Bread and butter - To describe your profession or an activity that earns you money to live.
  
• Have one's own cake and eat it - To use or spend something and keep it too.
  
• Nutty as a fruitcake - To describe a crazy person.
  

Feel free to add yours.. 

[pandandesign]

Ha! I use 'cup of tea' a lot, but have never heard the rest of the idioms about food. It's good to know because I don't often use idioms in both speaking and writing, which I have learned the proper way not to use too much idioms when in writing. Thanks for sharing them! I wouldn't have known if you didn't list these were the idioms about food.

[Baburra]

Cup of tea is one of the idioms I use a lot too! As for my own contribution, the "apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is one that stuck with me for some reason. I think it has a lot to do with my love of parental psychology and family relation studies.

[LauraM]

eppie, great topic!  There are lots of food idioms in English.  You've picked some really good ones. 

Here are a few more.

"As slow as molasses in January" -- yes, very slow!

"Bad apple" -- refers to someone who is a bad influence, as the original reference is to how a single bad apple can cause the apples surrounding it to also become spoiled. 

"Comparing apples and oranges" -- Two different situations, circumstances or things that are not comparable.

"Go bananas" -- become excited about something

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire" -- to go from a bad situation or circumstance to one that is even worse. 

[1inamillion]

Ha! I use 'cup of tea' a lot, but have never heard the rest of the idioms about food. It's good to know because I don't often use idioms in both speaking and writing, which I have learned the proper way not to use too much idioms when in writing. Thanks for sharing them! I wouldn't have known if you didn't list these were the idioms about food.

I heard of cry over split milk but the others are strange to me. There are a few that amuses really catches my attention: 1. finger in the pie-Participate  in something that is happening.

2. full of bean-feel energetic in high spirit. 3. Half-baked- not thought out or studied carefully.

[GoldRose]

I like the idiom-cup of the tea. I really often say:' Oh-this is not my cup of tea' lol

[eppie]

Thank you for your inputs guys.  :grin:

Here's another batch of food-related idioms:

• Apple of one's eye - A person that someone really like.
  
• The big cheese - A very important person.
  
• Cream of the crop - The best among a certain group.
  
• Piece of cake - A very easy task.
  
• Hard nut to crack - A person who is very hard to understand.
  

[linguaholic]

Thank you for your inputs guys.  :grin:

Here's another batch of food-related idioms:

• Apple of one's eye - A person that someone really like.
  
• The big cheese - A very important person.
  
• Cream of the crop - The best among a certain group.
  
• Piece of cake - A very easy task.
  
• Hard nut to crack - A person who is very hard to understand.
  

Hey Eppie, 'A hard nut to crack' can also refer to a difficult task, is that right? regards lingua

[eppie]

Hey Eppie, 'A hard nut to crack' can also refer to a difficult task, is that right? regards lingua

Yes, I believe so like when referring to a very difficult puzzle or problem.  Thanks 

Anyway, here's some more that I've thought of lately..

As cool as a cucumber - refers to someone who is not worried at all.

Banana republic - refers to a small country (usually a third world country) that's largely dependent on a single crop/industry and at the same time having a very corrupt government.

Breadwinner - refers to the member of the family that earns the most.

Couch potato - refers to an extremely lazy person usually just stays in a couch watching TV while snacking on junk food.

Forbidden fruit - refers to something that is both enjoyable and immoral at the same time.

[Peninha]

Good ones there Eppie, I never knew the true meaning of Banana Republic, I though it just meant a place where anyone could do what they wanted to.

As cool as cucumber is totally new for me, nice one. 

[Denis Hard]

A few more:

Hand [something to someone] on a silver platter - given without that person working for that

                                                                    'something.'

Cup of joe - cup of coffee.

Egg someone on - 'persuade' someone to do something they don't want to.

Bad egg - troublesome fella.

To have a bun in the oven - to be pregnant.

[Litnax]

Coffee break - a break from work to rest and drink coffee or tea

A cream puff - a person who is easily influenced or beaten

Cut the mustard - to succeed, to do adequately what needs to be done

And my favorite 

Done to a T - to be cooked just right

[Joanna]

I like this one:

"Too many cooks spoil the broth"

[erikao1o]

One I can think of is, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" which means that someone is starving. When I was teaching ESL I taught my students "a piece of cake" which means that something is very easy. They loved using that idiom and would tell me how all of our work was a piece of cake!

[Rosa]

I don't use food idioms a lot and most of those I do remember are already mentioned. The few I can remember are two peas in a pod, spill the beans and sells like hot bread. A lot of those mentioned I even forgot so having been reminded of them is a good thing.

[Litnax]

The few I can remember are two peas in a pod, spill the beans and sells like hot bread. A lot of those mentioned I even forgot so having been reminded of them is a good thing.

I heard 'sells like hot cakes' before but not 'hot bread'. Something new to learn 

[eppie]

I think it's time for some more food idioms, specifically pie idioms as I haven't seen any on this topic: 

• Slice of the pie - a share of something like money perhaps. :grin:
  
• Have one's finger in pie - to be involved in something.
  
• Pie in the sky - A plan or idea that is likely not going to happen.
  
• Eat humble pie - To admit that you have done something wrong and apologize for it.
  
• As easy as pie - A very easy task.
  

[mmjmaske]

The fat's in the fryer/fire - Fat burns really quickly, so when it gets into contact with fire it usually burns up pretty fast. It's a way of saying that the damage has already been done, and you can't take back what has happened.

[Litnax]

- My brother is quite the bad egg (a person who is often in trouble). He always want to have his cake and eat it too (want more than your fair share or need). He's a hard nut to crack (difficult to understand) sometimes.

It's fun learning idioms like this. I get to vent off about life as well  Feels great to get it out of my system!

[xTinx]

"Bread and butter" sounds mighty fine and appetizing to me. It also means a "source of income" for someone. I use cup of tea all the time but just using it won't induce any hunger since tea is obviously liquid. I've heard of "apple of one's eye" but I rarely use it. If you take it literally, it's as if you're comparing the person to an apple. It's funny in that sense.

[Litnax]

The fat's in the fryer/fire - Fat burns really quickly, so when it gets into contact with fire it usually burns up pretty fast. It's a way of saying that the damage has already been done, and you can't take back what has happened.

I don't why, but this idiom makes me hungry  Urgh, my eating habit is so unhealthy...

[anna3101]

There's also "be on the breadline" - live in very poor conditions, be very poor, and "peanuts" - a small, inadequate amount of money.

And "icing on the cake" - a pretty but not necessarily useful addition to something

[Litnax]

 

"Go bananas" -- become excited about something

 

This idiom reflects my nephew's mood today. School holiday is coming soon, but he already go bananas about it 

[Amelie]

If there are any Everybody Loves Raymond fans out there, you'll find this funny:

peach fuzz - small amount of hair growth

Carrie Underwood fans:

"souped-up" four-wheel-drive -  made more powerful

[czarina84]

"In a pickle" means to be in a bad situation with seemingly no solution.  "Rolling in the dough" means to be very wealthy.  "Sit and stew" means to sit and be angry about something.  "Bean counter"  is a not-so-nice phrase for a thorough accountant.