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!

Couch potatoes

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.

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:

James Prior

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