99 Food Idioms With Their Meanings & Examples
Discover 99 food idioms with their meanings and examples to enhance your vocabulary and add flavor to your conversations!
Ready to stop being a couch potato and learn some food idioms?! Before we get started let’s remind ourselves of what idioms are.
What are Idioms?
Idioms are phrases or expressions that convey a figurative meaning that differs from the literal meaning of the words used. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines an idiom as “a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words.” For example, “a piece of cake” means something that is very easy. This is completely different to its literal meaning.
Such idiomatic expressions are often deeply ingrained in the English language and can be challenging for non-native speakers to understand. However, they are an essential part of English communication, and knowing them can help you understand and speak English more fluently. It’s therefore important to learn idioms and their uses.
In this article, we’ve got 99 food-based idioms for you to get your teeth into.
Food Idioms List
Below you’ll find 99 food idioms in alphabetical order with their meanings and examples. You could say we’ve put them on a silver platter for you!
Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Meaning: Children often resemble their parents in behavior or character.
Example: She’s a great artist; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Apple of their eye
Meaning: Someone who is cherished above others.
Example: His daughter is the apple of his eye.
As busy as popcorn on a skillet
Meaning: Very busy or active.
Example: I’ve been as busy as popcorn on a skillet this week.
As easy as pie
Meaning: Very easy to do.
Example: This recipe is as easy as pie.
As flat as a pancake
Meaning: Completely flat or level.
Example: The presentation was as flat as a pancake.
As nutty as a fruitcake
Meaning: Very crazy or eccentric.
Example: He’s as nutty as a fruitcake, but we love him anyway.
As sour as vinegar
Meaning: Very unpleasant or bad-tempered.
Example: Her attitude was as sour as vinegar during the meeting.
As sweet as honey
Meaning: Very kind or nice.
Example: He has a heart as sweet as honey.
As warm as toast
Meaning: Very warm and comfortable.
Example: The fire made the room feel as warm as toast.
Bad apple
Meaning: A person who has a negative influence on others.
Example: Don’t let that bad apple ruin the team spirit.
Bad egg
Meaning: A person who is dishonest or bad.
Example: He was known to be a bad egg in school.
Bear fruit
Meaning: To produce positive results.
Example: Their hard work will eventually bear fruit.
Big cheese
Meaning: An important or influential person.
Example: He’s the big cheese in the organization.
Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: To take on a task that is too big or difficult.
Example: She bit off more than she could chew by accepting two jobs at once.
Bite the hand that feeds you
Meaning: To harm someone who helps you.
Example: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you; show some gratitude.
Bitter pill to swallow
Meaning: A difficult or unpleasant situation that must be accepted.
Example: Losing the match was a bitter pill to swallow.
Bread and butter
Meaning: Basic means of livelihood.
Example: Teaching is her bread and butter.
Breadwinner
Meaning: The primary earner in a household.
Example: He works hard to be the breadwinner for his family.
Bring home the bacon
Meaning: To earn a living.
Example: She works two jobs to bring home the bacon.
Buy a lemon
Meaning: To purchase something that is defective or worthless.
Example: I bought a used car, but it turned out to be a lemon.
Butter up
Meaning: To flatter someone to gain favor.
Example: He tried to butter up the boss with compliments.
Butter wouldn’t melt in their mouth
Meaning: A person appears innocent or demure but is not.
Example: She seems nice, but butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
Carrot and stick
Meaning: A combination of rewards and punishment to motivate.
Example: The carrot and stick approach worked well with the team.
Cherry-pick
Meaning: To choose only the best or most desirable items.
Example: She cherry-picked the best candidates for the project.
Chew the fat
Meaning: To engage in casual conversation.
Example: We sat around the table, chewing the fat for hours.
Cool as a cucumber
Meaning: Very calm and composed.
Example: He remained cool as a cucumber during the crisis.
Couch potato
Meaning: A person who spends too much time sitting and watching TV.
Example: On weekends, I tend to be a couch potato.
Compare apples and oranges
Meaning: To compare two different things that are not comparable.
Example: You can’t compare apples and oranges when discussing their merits.
Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.
Example: There’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s move on.
Cup of Joe
Meaning: A cup of coffee.
Example: I need a cup of Joe to start my day.
Dangle the carrot
Meaning: To offer someone a reward to motivate them.
Example: They dangled the carrot of a bonus to boost productivity.
Drop like a hot potato
Meaning: To quickly give up or abandon something.
Example: She dropped the project like a hot potato after hearing the news.
Eat crow
Meaning: To admit that you were wrong.
Example: After arguing for weeks, he had to eat crow.
Eat dirt
Meaning: To be humiliated or disgraced.
Example: After that blunder, he felt like he had to eat dirt.
Eat high on the hog
Meaning: To live very well or luxuriously.
Example: Since his promotion, he’s been eating high on the hog.
Eat humble pie
Meaning: To admit one’s errors and apologize.
Example: After losing the debate, he had to eat humble pie.
Eat like a bird
Meaning: To eat very little.
Example: She eats like a bird; I worry she’s not getting enough nutrients.
Eat like a horse
Meaning: To eat a lot.
Example: He can eat like a horse and never gain weight.
Eat your heart out
Meaning: To feel regret or envy.
Example: She won the award; eat your heart out, critics!
Egg on
Meaning: To encourage someone to do something, usually something risky.
Example: They egged him on to try the daring stunt.
Everything from soup to nuts
Meaning: Everything; a complete range.
Example: The event will include everything from soup to nuts.
Fat is in the fire
Meaning: A situation has gone wrong and is likely to get worse.
Example: When she found out about the mistake, the fat was in the fire.
Fine kettle of fish
Meaning: A troublesome or awkward situation.
Example: This is a fine kettle of fish; we need to fix it quickly.
Finger in the pie
Meaning: To be involved in something, often in a meddling way.
Example: He has his finger in every pie at the office.
Food for thought
Meaning: Something that warrants consideration or reflection.
Example: That article provides a lot of food for thought.
For peanuts
Meaning: For very little money.
Example: She worked for peanuts compared to her skills.
Forbidden fruit
Meaning: Something that is tempting but prohibited.
Example: Their relationship was forbidden fruit at the company.
Full of beans
Meaning: Energetic and lively.
Example: The kids are full of beans this morning.
Go bananas
Meaning: To become very excited or angry.
Example: The crowd went bananas when the concert started.
Goose is cooked
Meaning: You are in trouble.
Example: If the boss finds out, your goose is cooked.
Gravy train
Meaning: A situation that brings easy money or benefits.
Example: He’s been riding the gravy train since the deal went through.
Greatest thing since sliced bread
Meaning: A very good idea or invention.
Example: This app is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Half a loaf is better than none
Meaning: It’s better to have something rather than nothing at all.
Example: I’ll take half a loaf rather than risk getting nothing.
Half baked
Meaning: Not fully thought out; poorly planned.
Example: That was a half-baked idea that needed more work.
Hard cheese
Meaning: Tough luck or an unfortunate situation.
Example: You lost the game? Hard cheese, but try again next time.
Hard nut to crack
Meaning: A difficult problem or person to deal with.
Example: She’s a hard nut to crack when it comes to negotiations.
Have a lot on one’s plate
Meaning: To have many responsibilities or tasks to deal with.
Example: I can’t take on more work; I already have a lot on my plate.
Have a sweet tooth
Meaning: To enjoy sweet foods.
Example: I have a sweet tooth and love desserts.
Have bigger fish to fry
Meaning: To have more important matters to attend to.
Example: I can’t worry about that; I have bigger fish to fry.
Have egg on your face
Meaning: To be embarrassed by a mistake.
Example: He had egg on his face after that slip-up.
Have one’s cake and eat it too
Meaning: To enjoy the benefits of having something without the drawbacks.
Example: You can’t have your cake and eat it too; choose one option.
In a pickle
Meaning: In a difficult or troublesome situation.
Example: I’m in a pickle with this project deadline.
In a nutshell
Meaning: In summary or in brief.
Example: In a nutshell, we need to change our strategy.
Life is a bowl of cherries
Meaning: Life is pleasant and enjoyable.
Example: With my new job, I feel like life is a bowl of cherries.
Like a hot knife through butter
Meaning: Very easy to do.
Example: The project went through like a hot knife through butter.
Like taking candy from a baby
Meaning: Very easy to accomplish.
Example: Winning that game was like taking candy from a baby.
Like two peas in a pod
Meaning: Very similar or closely related.
Example: They’re like two peas in a pod, always together.
Low hanging fruit
Meaning: Tasks or goals that are easy to achieve.
Example: Let’s focus on the low hanging fruit first.
Meat and potatoes
Meaning: Basic, essential elements.
Example: This course covers the meat and potatoes of marketing.
Melt in one’s mouth
Meaning: Very tender or delicious.
Example: This chocolate cake will melt in your mouth.
Not for all the tea in China
Meaning: Not for any amount of money or reward.
Example: I wouldn’t do that, not for all the tea in China.
Not know beans about
Meaning: To know nothing about something.
Example: I don’t know beans about gardening.
Not my cup of tea
Meaning: Not something I prefer or enjoy.
Example: Horror movies are not my cup of tea.
Not worth a hill of beans
Meaning: Of little value or importance.
Example: That opinion isn’t worth a hill of beans to me.
On a silver platter
Meaning: Given without effort or hard work.
Example: Success doesn’t come on a silver platter; you have to work for it.
Packed in like sardines
Meaning: Very crowded.
Example: The subway was packed in like sardines this morning.
Piece of cake
Meaning: Very easy to do.
Example: That exam was a piece of cake.
Pie in the sky
Meaning: A hopeful idea that is unlikely to happen.
Example: His plans for the future seem like pie in the sky.
Put a fork in it
Meaning: To signal that something is finished or done.
Example: I’ve made my decision; put a fork in it.
Put all your eggs in one basket
Meaning: To risk everything on a single venture.
Example: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; diversify your investments.
Rotten to the core
Meaning: Completely corrupt or evil.
Example: The deal turned out to be rotten to the core.
Salt of the Earth
Meaning: A very good, honest, and humble person.
Example: He’s the salt of the earth, always helping others.
Sell like hotcakes
Meaning: To sell quickly and in large numbers.
Example: The new phone is selling like hotcakes.
Small potatoes
Meaning: A small or insignificant amount.
Example: In the grand scheme, that’s small potatoes.
Spill the beans
Meaning: To reveal a secret.
Example: She accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
Stick to your ribs
Meaning: Filling or nutritious food.
Example: This stew is stick to your ribs kind of meal.
Sugarcoat
Meaning: To make something seem more pleasant than it is.
Example: Don’t sugarcoat the truth; I need to know what’s happening.
Take the biscuit
Meaning: To be the most outrageous or surprising.
Example: That excuse takes the biscuit for being ridiculous.
Take with a grain of salt
Meaning: To view something skeptically or not take it literally.
Example: Take his advice with a grain of salt; he tends to exaggerate.
That’s the way the cookie crumbles
Meaning: That’s how things happen; often used to accept disappointment.
Example: We lost the game, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
The icing on the cake
Meaning: An additional benefit that makes something even better.
Example: The promotion was great, but the bonus was the icing on the cake.
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Meaning: Nothing is truly free; everything has a cost.
Example: Be careful; remember that there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Meaning: Too many people involved can ruin a project.
Example: We need to streamline the team; too many cooks spoil the broth.
Top banana
Meaning: The most important person in a group.
Example: She’s the top banana in the department.
Use your noodle
Meaning: To think or use common sense.
Example: Come on, use your noodle before you act!
Variety is the spice of life
Meaning: Diversity makes life more interesting.
Example: I try new foods because variety is the spice of life.
Walk on eggshells
Meaning: To be very careful about how you act or speak.
Example: I had to walk on eggshells around her after the argument.
Worth your salt
Meaning: Deserving respect and acknowledgment for work done.
Example: A good teacher is worth their salt.
You are what you eat
Meaning: The food you eat affects your health and well-being.
Example: Remember, you are what you eat; choose healthy options.
Food Idioms: Easy as Pie?
That was as easy as pie, wasn’t it? Food idioms can add spice to your conversations, and whether you’re a native speaker or learning English, these expressions are fun to use.
We hope you enjoyed this list of 99 food idioms with their meanings and examples. Do you have a favorite food idiom we missed? Share it with us!
In the meantime, use your noodle and keep practicing these idioms. Your efforts will soon bear fruit!
What Next?
Enjoy learning about these idioms? You might also like to check out:
- What Does AFAIK Mean? Definition, Usage & Examples - February 15, 2025
- 57 Weirdest Words in English With Their Meanings & Examples - February 7, 2025
- How to Become a Speech-Language Pathologist - February 4, 2025