Food idioms are idiomatic expressions that use food items or concepts related to food and eating in a metaphorical or symbolic way to express different ideas, feelings, or situations. These idioms are common in many languages, including English, and they can add flavor and color to our speech and writing.
- “Piece of cake” – something that’s very easy to do.
- After practicing for months, playing the guitar was a piece of cake for him.
- He thought the test would be difficult, but it turned out to be a piece of cake.
- Compared to climbing the mountain, the hike was a piece of cake.
- Fixing the computer was a piece of cake for the tech-savvy teenager.
- Cooking dinner for 20 guests would be a piece of cake for a professional chef.
- “Spill the beans” – to reveal a secret.
- She couldn’t wait to spill the beans about her engagement to her friends.
- He accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
- The suspect spilled the beans during the police interrogation.
- The child couldn’t help but spill the beans about the family’s vacation plans.
- The CEO spilled the beans about the company’s new product during the press conference.
- “Bite off more than you can chew” – to take on a task that is too big or difficult.
- She bit off more than she could chew when she decided to organize the event on her own.
- The company bit off more than it could chew with the new project.
- He realized he had bitten off more than he could chew when he agreed to coach two sports teams.
- I bit off more than I could chew by agreeing to work on three projects simultaneously.
- After biting off more than he could chew, he learned to say no to tasks he couldn’t handle.
- “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” – a child grows up to be very similar to their parents.
- She is an excellent painter just like her mother; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- Both father and son have a love for adventure. Truly, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- His parents were doctors, and he became one too. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- Just like her father, she excels in mathematics. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- He’s as stubborn as his dad – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- “In a nutshell” – to explain something in a few words or in a concise way.
- In a nutshell, our strategy is to focus on innovative technologies.
- Could you explain your thesis in a nutshell?
- She explained the plot of the complex movie to her friends in a nutshell.
- In a nutshell, he decided to leave the company because he felt undervalued.
- The tour guide explained the history of the castle in a nutshell before they entered.
- “Cry over spilled milk” – to express regret about something that has already happened or cannot be changed.
- He missed the train, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk. He’ll catch the next one.
- She was upset about losing the game, but I told her there was no point in crying over spilled milk.
- Yes, we made a mistake, but there’s no need to cry over spilled milk. Let’s focus on what we can do better next time.
- He forgot to save his work on the computer, and lost everything when the power went out. But crying over spilled milk won’t help now.
- We lost the contract to our competitors, but there’s no point in crying over spilled milk. We need to improve and move on.
- “Bread and butter” – a person’s main source of income.
- Writing is her bread and butter, so she spends most of her day working on her novel.
- He works as a mechanic during the day; fixing cars is his bread and butter.
- Her small business is her bread and butter, so she puts a lot of effort into it.
- Teaching guitar lessons is my bread and butter, but I also play in a band for fun.
- Selling homemade crafts online is his bread and butter, allowing him to travel and work at the same time.
- “Sour grapes” – pretending to disdain something because you cannot have it.
- He said he didn’t care about not getting the promotion, but everyone knew it was just sour grapes.
- When she lost the beauty pageant, her comments about the event being superficial were clearly sour grapes.
- His remarks about the award not being important were nothing more than sour grapes.
- He claimed the job wasn’t that great after he was rejected, but it was a case of sour grapes.
- When her ex started dating someone new, her unkind comments about him were simply sour grapes.
- “Cool as a cucumber” – extremely calm, not nervous or emotional.
- Despite the pressure, she stayed as cool as a cucumber and delivered a great presentation.
- Even in the face of danger, the veteran firefighter was as cool as a cucumber.
- During the intense negotiation, he remained cool as a cucumber.
- She was as cool as a cucumber during the entire job interview, impressing the hiring managers.
- Despite having to perform in front of thousands of people, the singer was as cool as a cucumber.
- “The cream of the crop” – the best of all.
- Only the cream of the crop will be selected for the scholarship program.
- The university is known for producing the cream of the crop in engineering graduates.
- The new model of the car is the cream of the crop, featuring the latest technology.
- This designer’s collection is always the cream of the crop at the fashion week.
- She was considered the cream of the crop among the new recruits at the company.
30 Food Idioms and Phrases with 5 Example Sentences each
- “Not my cup of tea” – something one does not enjoy or is not interested in.
- Rock climbing is just not my cup of tea; I prefer more relaxing hobbies like reading.
- I tried to get into jazz music, but it’s really not my cup of tea.
- Science fiction movies are not my cup of tea; I prefer dramas or comedies.
- While many people enjoy cooking as a hobby, it’s just not my cup of tea.
- She said that camping is not her cup of tea, she prefers a more comfortable vacation.
- “Bigger fish to fry” – to have more important things to deal with.
- I can’t worry about this minor issue now, I have bigger fish to fry.
- He decided not to argue about the small mistake because he had bigger fish to fry.
- She didn’t have time to worry about the party arrangements, she had bigger fish to fry.
- The police had bigger fish to fry than dealing with minor traffic violations.
- We can’t focus on this minor setback now; we have bigger fish to fry in terms of our project deadline.
- “Full of beans” – to have a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
- The kids were full of beans after eating all that candy at the party.
- She came into the meeting full of beans, ready to share her new ideas.
- After a good night’s sleep, he was full of beans and ready to tackle the day.
- My puppy is always full of beans in the morning, running around and playing.
- The team was full of beans at the start of the project, working long hours to get things moving.
- “Hot potato” – a controversial issue or situation which is awkward or unpleasant to deal with.
- The new policy has become a hot potato in the political arena.
- The corruption scandal is a hot potato that the government is trying to deal with.
- Climate change has become a hot potato in international relations.
- The issue of gun control is always a hot potato in the United States.
- The CEO’s resignation turned into a hot potato, with everyone trying to avoid responsibility for the company’s problems.
- “Take with a grain of salt” – to not completely believe something that you are told, because you think it is likely to be exaggerated or untrue.
- You should take his advice with a grain of salt; he’s not always right.
- I always take celebrity gossip with a grain of salt.
- The reports about the company’s success should be taken with a grain of salt; they might be exaggerating.
- You have to take his promises with a grain of salt; he has a history of not keeping them.
- I always take online reviews with a grain of salt; you never know if they’re genuine.
- “Bite the bullet” – to force oneself to perform a painful, difficult task or endure an unpleasant situation.
- He didn’t want to start his taxes, but he knew he had to bite the bullet and get it done.
- She was nervous about the surgery, but she bit the bullet and went through with it.
- Even though he was scared of flying, he bit the bullet and boarded the plane for his sister’s wedding.
- I don’t enjoy confrontation, but I had to bite the bullet and discuss the issue with my neighbor.
- He knew the feedback wouldn’t be easy to hear, but he bit the bullet and asked his boss for it anyway.
- “Have a lot on one’s plate” – to have a lot of work or problems to deal with.
- With three projects due at the same time, she certainly has a lot on her plate.
- Between work, school, and volunteering, he has a lot on his plate.
- I have so much on my plate right now, I don’t know where to start.
- They’ve just had a new baby and moved house, so they have a lot on their plate.
- With exams coming up and a part-time job, she has a lot on her plate.
- “Out of the frying pan into the fire” – going from a bad or difficult situation to one that is worse.
- When he quit his job because of his difficult boss only to end up with an even stricter one, it felt like he had gone out of the frying pan into the fire.
- She moved out of her noisy apartment only to find her new neighbors even louder—truly out of the frying pan into the fire.
- He left a stressful job to start his own business, only to find himself out of the frying pan and into the fire.
- Escaping from the frying pan into the fire, she left an unhappy relationship only to end up in a worse one.
- They thought they were moving out of the frying pan into the fire when the new coach turned out to be more demanding than the previous one.
- “Go bananas” – to become very excited, crazy, or angry.
- The crowd went bananas when the band came on stage.
- When she saw the mess her kids had made, she went bananas.
- The fans went bananas when the football team scored the winning goal.
- The children went bananas when they saw the piles of presents under the Christmas tree.
- My boss will go bananas if I’m late again.
- “A tough cookie” – someone who is strong, determined, and not easily influenced.
- She had to be a tough cookie to succeed in the male-dominated industry.
- My grandmother is a tough cookie; she raised six children all by herself.
- He’s a tough cookie, and I’m sure he’ll bounce back from this setback.
- She might seem sweet, but she’s a tough cookie when it comes to business.
- Despite all the challenges he faced, he showed everyone that he’s a tough cookie.
- “Bring home the bacon” – to earn a living, particularly for a family.
- She worked two jobs to bring home the bacon for her family.
- With his new job, he was finally able to bring home the bacon.
- As the sole breadwinner, it’s his responsibility to bring home the bacon.
- She is a successful lawyer who brings home the bacon.
- Despite being a star athlete, he never forgot the importance of education and the need to bring home the bacon.
- “The cherry on top” – something extra that enhances an already good thing.
- Getting a raise was great, but getting a corner office was the cherry on top.
- The sunset on the beach was beautiful, and seeing dolphins was the cherry on top.
- Winning the game was fantastic, but scoring the final goal was the cherry on top.
- The party was fun, and the surprise guest was the cherry on top.
- The vacation was already great, but the upgrade to a suite was the cherry on top.
- “A hard nut to crack” – a problem that is hard to solve or a person who is difficult to understand.
- The puzzle was a hard nut to crack, but we finally solved it.
- He doesn’t open up easily. He’s a hard nut to crack.
- The mystery of the missing necklace was a hard nut to crack.
- The new software system was a hard nut to crack, but we finally figured it out.
- She is a hard nut to crack; it’s difficult to know what she’s thinking.
- “Eat humble pie” – to admit one’s errors or faults and apologize for them.
- After blaming his colleague for the mistake, he had to eat humble pie when he realized it was his fault.
- The company had to eat humble pie when their new product failed.
- She had to eat humble pie and apologize to her sister for the misunderstanding.
- After his team lost, the boastful coach had to eat humble pie.
- The critic had to eat humble pie when the movie he dismissed became a blockbuster.
- “A piece of the pie” – a share of the benefits or profits.
- The employees demanded a piece of the pie after the company reported record profits.
- Everyone wants a piece of the pie when a business is successful.
- She invested in the company in the hope of getting a piece of the pie.
- As a member of the team, he deserved a piece of the pie.
- With the industry booming, every company wanted a piece of the pie.
- “In a pickle” – in a difficult or tricky situation.
- I forgot to do my homework, and now I’m in a pickle.
- When her car broke down in the middle of nowhere, she found herself in a pickle.
- He double-booked his schedule and found himself in a pickle.
- The company was in a pickle due to declining sales.
- She found herself in a pickle when both job interviews were scheduled at the same time.
- “Put all your eggs in one basket” – to risk everything on a single venture.
- He put all his eggs in one basket by investing all his savings in one stock.
- It’s not wise to put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to investing.
- She decided not to put all her eggs in one basket and applied to several colleges.
- They put all their eggs in one basket by betting their entire budget on one product.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; diversify your skills.
- “Sell like hotcakes” – to sell quickly or in large quantities.
- Her new book is selling like hotcakes.
- As soon as the store opened, the new gaming console started selling like hotcakes.
- The special edition merchandise was selling like hotcakes.
- When the price dropped, the houses in that area began selling like hotcakes.
- The tickets for the concert sold like hotcakes, and were gone within an hour.
- “Sweeten the pot” – to increase the stakes or make an offer more attractive.
- He decided to sweeten the pot by offering free shipping to his customers.
- To sweeten the pot, they included a bonus with the job offer.
- She decided to sweeten the pot by throwing in some extra accessories with the car.
- The company decided to sweeten the pot by adding a signing bonus to the contract.
- To sweeten the pot, the landlord included utilities in the rent.
- “Two peas in a pod” – two people who are very similar, typically in interests, dispositions, or beliefs.
- They’re like two peas in a pod, always together and thinking the same thing.
- My sister and I are like two peas in a pod; we both love reading and playing tennis.
- My best friend and I are like two peas in a pod; we even finish each other’s sentences.
- The twins are two peas in a pod, with identical interests and personalities.
- They are like two peas in a pod, both with the same quirky sense of humor.