Have you ever felt like English food idioms are the hardest nut to crack? Or perhaps you’ve been left with egg on your face after misusing a phrase in conversation? Don’t worry—you’re not alone! Learning idioms can sometimes feel like a hot potato, but we’re here to make it a piece of cake for you…

Check out these commonly used food idioms and some exercises to practice.

1. Piece of Cake

  • Meaning: Something very easy to do.
  • Example: Solving this puzzle was a piece of cake.

2. Spill the Beans

  • Meaning: To reveal a secret.
  • Example: He spilled the beans about the surprise party.

3. Egg on Your Face

  • Meaning: To be embarrassed.
  • Example: She had egg on her face after forgetting her lines on stage.

4. Bread and Butter

  • Meaning: Main source of income.
  • Example: Writing articles is his bread and butter.

5. In a Nutshell

  • Meaning: To summarise briefly.
  • Example: In a nutshell, we need more funding.

6. Hot Potato

  • Meaning: A controversial issue.
  • Example: The tax increase is a political hot potato.

7. Cup of Tea

  • Meaning: Something one likes.
  • Example: Hiking is not my cup of tea.

8. Bring Home the Bacon

  • Meaning: To earn money for the family.
  • Example: She brings home the bacon with her new job.

9. Salt of the Earth

  • Meaning: A very good and honest person.
  • Example: They are the salt of the earth, always helping others.

10. Couch Potato

  • Meaning: A lazy person who watches too much TV.
  • Example: He became a couch potato during the holidays.

11. Big Cheese

  • Meaning: An important person.
  • Example: The big cheese will attend the meeting.

12. Cry Over Spilt Milk

  • Meaning: To be upset about something that cannot be changed.
  • Example: It’s no use crying over spilt milk.

13. Full of Beans

  • Meaning: Very energetic.
  • Example: The kids are full of beans today.

14. Hard Nut to Crack

  • Meaning: A difficult problem or person.
  • Example: That mystery novel is a hard nut to crack.

15. Sour Grapes

  • Meaning: Pretending to dislike something you can’t have.
  • Example: He said the job was boring, but I think it’s just sour grapes.

16. Apple of My Eye

  • Meaning: Someone very precious.
  • Example: Her granddaughter is the apple of her eye.

17. Chew the Fat

  • Meaning: To chat casually.
  • Example: We sat down to chew the fat over coffee.

18. Cool as a Cucumber

  • Meaning: Very calm.
  • Example: He was cool as a cucumber during the interview.

19. Go Bananas

  • Meaning: To become very excited or angry.
  • Example: The fans went bananas when the team scored.

20. Have Bigger Fish to Fry

  • Meaning: To have more important things to do.
  • Example: I can’t attend the meeting; I have bigger fish to fry.

21. Eat Humble Pie

  • Meaning: To admit you were wrong.
  • Example: After the debate, he had to eat humble pie.

22. Breadwinner

  • Meaning: The main income earner in a family.
  • Example: She became the breadwinner after her promotion.

23. Butter Someone Up

  • Meaning: To flatter someone.
  • Example: He’s trying to butter up the boss for a raise.

24. Cherry-Pick

  • Meaning: To select the best or most desirable items.
  • Example: They cherry-picked the best candidates.

25. Food for Thought

  • Meaning: Something to think seriously about.
  • Example: His suggestion gave us food for thought.

26. Gravy Train

  • Meaning: A way to make money quickly and easily.
  • Example: They found a gravy train with their new business.

27. Take with a Grain of Salt

  • Meaning: To be sceptical about something.
  • Example: Take his advice with a grain of salt.

28. Like Two Peas in a Pod

  • Meaning: Very similar.
  • Example: The twins are like two peas in a pod.

29. Know Which Side Your Bread is Buttered

  • Meaning: To know where your advantage lies.
  • Example: He stays late at work because he knows which side his bread is buttered.

30. The Icing on the Cake

  • Meaning: An additional benefit.
  • Example: The bonus was the icing on the cake.

31. Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

  • Meaning: To rely on one thing.
  • Example: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; diversify your investments.

32. Eat Like a Bird

  • Meaning: To eat very little.
  • Example: She eats like a bird at dinner.

33. Eat Like a Horse

  • Meaning: To eat a lot.
  • Example: After the hike, he ate like a horse.

34. Sell Like Hotcakes

  • Meaning: To sell quickly and in large quantities.
  • Example: The new smartphones are selling like hotcakes.

35. Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

  • Meaning: To have two incompatible things.
  • Example: You can’t have your cake and eat it too.

36. Nutty as a Fruitcake

  • Meaning: Crazy or eccentric.
  • Example: Some thought the inventor was nutty as a fruitcake.

37. Take the Cake

  • Meaning: To be the most remarkable or foolish.
  • Example: His laziness takes the cake.

38. Bad Apple

  • Meaning: A bad person in a group.
  • Example: One bad apple can spoil the whole team.

39. As Easy as Pie

  • Meaning: Very easy.
  • Example: The homework was as easy as pie.

40. Bring Home the Bread

  • Meaning: To earn a living.
  • Example: She works hard to bring home the bread.

41. Cream of the Crop

  • Meaning: The best of a group.
  • Example: These students are the cream of the crop.

42. Cut the Mustard

  • Meaning: To meet expectations.
  • Example: He didn’t cut the mustard during the trial period.

43. Tough Cookie

  • Meaning: A strong or determined person.
  • Example: She’s a tough cookie; she won’t give up easily.

44. Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

  • Meaning: To take on too much.
  • Example: He bit off more than he could chew with this project.

45. Butter Fingers

  • Meaning: A clumsy person.
  • Example: I dropped the vase—I’m such a butter fingers.

46. Eat Your Words

  • Meaning: To admit you were wrong.
  • Example: You’ll have to eat your words about him being lazy.

47. Sweet Tooth

  • Meaning: A liking for sweet foods.
  • Example: She has a sweet tooth and loves chocolates.

48. Sour Note

  • Meaning: An unpleasant end.
  • Example: The event ended on a sour note due to the argument.

49. Half-Baked Idea

  • Meaning: An idea that is not fully thought out.
  • Example: Starting a business without a plan is a half-baked idea.

50. Walking on Eggshells

  • Meaning: To be very cautious.
  • Example: We’re walking on eggshells around him after the disagreement.

51. Bring Home the Bacon

  • Meaning: To earn a salary.
  • Example: He works two jobs to bring home the bacon.

52. Have a Bun in the Oven

  • Meaning: To be pregnant.
  • Example: They announced they have a bun in the oven.

53. Hot Under the Collar

  • Meaning: Angry or annoyed.
  • Example: He gets hot under the collar when he’s criticised.

54. Bad Egg

  • Meaning: A person who is often in trouble.
  • Example: Stay away from him; he’s a bad egg.

55. Bite the Hand That Feeds You

  • Meaning: To harm someone who helps you.
  • Example: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you by insulting your boss.

56. Cold Turkey

  • Meaning: To quit something abruptly.
  • Example: She quit smoking cold turkey.

57. Take the Biscuit

  • Meaning: To be the most remarkable or foolish.
  • Example: Losing my keys again really takes the biscuit.

58. Bread and Circuses

  • Meaning: Entertainment to distract from important issues.
  • Example: The government provides bread and circuses to keep people happy.

59. Eat Like a Pig

  • Meaning: To eat messily.
  • Example: He eats like a pig when he’s hungry.

60. Not My Cup of Tea

  • Meaning: Not something one likes.
  • Example: Horror films are not my cup of tea.

61. Packed in Like Sardines

  • Meaning: Very crowded.
  • Example: The train was packed in like sardines.

62. Wake Up and Smell the Coffee

  • Meaning: Realise the reality of a situation.
  • Example: You need to wake up and smell the coffee about your spending.

63. Tough Nut to Crack

  • Meaning: A difficult problem or person.
  • Example: Convincing him is a tough nut to crack.

64. Worth Your Salt

  • Meaning: Good at your job.
  • Example: Any teacher worth their salt knows this method.

65. Butter Wouldn’t Melt in His Mouth

  • Meaning: Appearing innocent.
  • Example: He looks like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.

66. Eye Candy

  • Meaning: Attractive but with no substance.
  • Example: The film was eye candy but had a poor plot.

67. Eat Someone Out of House and Home

  • Meaning: To eat a lot of someone’s food.
  • Example: The teenagers ate me out of house and home.

68. Fine Kettle of Fish

  • Meaning: A troublesome situation.
  • Example: Missing the flight is a fine kettle of fish.

69. Flat as a Pancake

  • Meaning: Completely flat.
  • Example: The countryside is flat as a pancake.

70. Drop Like a Hot Potato

  • Meaning: To abandon something suddenly.
  • Example: They dropped the idea like a hot potato.

71. Have Egg on Your Face

  • Meaning: To be embarrassed.
  • Example: He had egg on his face after the mistake.

72. Like Taking Candy from a Baby

  • Meaning: Very easy.
  • Example: Winning that game was like taking candy from a baby.

73. Make Mince Meat Out Of

  • Meaning: To defeat easily.
  • Example: They made mince meat out of the opposing team.

74. One Smart Cookie

  • Meaning: A clever person.
  • Example: She’s one smart cookie.

75. As Cool as a Cucumber

  • Meaning: Very calm.
  • Example: Despite the pressure, he was as cool as a cucumber.

Exercises: Practise Food Idioms

Test your understanding with these exercises.

Exercise 1: Match the Idiom to Its Meaning

Match each idiom with its correct meaning.

a) Bad egg
b) Flat as a pancake
c) Eye candy
d) Cold turkey
e) Eat like a pig
f) Tough nut to crack
g) Wake up and smell the coffee
h) Packed in like sardines
i) Not my cup of tea
j) One smart cookie

  1. To quit abruptly
  2. Very crowded
  3. Very flat
  4. Someone clever
  5. Not something one likes
  6. Realise reality
  7. A troublesome person
  8. To eat messily
  9. Difficult problem or person
  10. Attractive but superficial

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct food idiom.

  1. After losing his wallet, he had a fine ________.
  2. She tried to ________ her boss for a day off.
  3. He’s a ________; he solved the puzzle in minutes.
  4. Don’t ________ the hand that feeds you.
  5. The concert tickets are selling like ________.
  6. That idea won’t work; it’s a half-________ idea.
  7. We were ________ in like sardines on the bus.
  8. He’s so innocent; butter wouldn’t ________ in his mouth.
  9. She quit sugar ________ turkey.
  10. The children ________ me out of house and home.

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Idiom

Select the best idiom to complete each sentence.

  1. After the argument, things ended on a ________.a) sour note
    b) sweet tooth
    c) gravy train
  2. He looks innocent, but he’s a real ________.a) apple of my eye
    b) bad egg
    c) couch potato
  3. The project failed because they ________.a) had bigger fish to fry
    b) bit off more than they could chew
    c) brought home the bacon
  4. She’s so calm under pressure; she’s ________.a) hot under the collar
    b) as cool as a cucumber
    c) full of beans

Exercise 4: Idiom Identification

Identify the idiom in each sentence and explain its meaning.

  1. “He thinks he’s the big cheese around here.”
  2. “Don’t take his promises seriously; take them with a grain of salt.”
  3. “She’s eating like a bird these days.”
  4. “The new policy is a hot potato.”

Exercise 5: Create Your Own Sentences

Use the following idioms in your own sentences:

  1. Flat as a pancake
  2. Cherry-pick
  3. Food for thought
  4. Butter fingers
  5. Tough cookie

Answers

Exercise 1: Match the Idiom to Its Meaning

a) Bad egg – 7. A troublesome person
b) Flat as a pancake – 3. Very flat
c) Eye candy – 10. Attractive but superficial
d) Cold turkey – 1. To quit abruptly
e) Eat like a pig – 8. To eat messily
f) Tough nut to crack – 9. Difficult problem or person
g) Wake up and smell the coffee – 6. Realise reality
h) Packed in like sardines – 2. Very crowded
i) Not my cup of tea – 5. Not something one likes
j) One smart cookie – 4. Someone clever

Exercise 2: Fill in the Blanks

  1. After losing his wallet, he had a fine kettle of fish.
  2. She tried to butter up her boss for a day off.
  3. He’s a smart cookie; he solved the puzzle in minutes.
  4. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
  5. The concert tickets are selling like hotcakes.
  6. That idea won’t work; it’s a half-baked idea.
  7. We were packed in like sardines on the bus.
  8. He’s so innocent; butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth.
  9. She quit sugar cold turkey.
  10. The children ate me out of house and home.

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Idiom

  1. After the argument, things ended on a sour note.
  2. He looks innocent, but he’s a real bad egg.
  3. The project failed because they bit off more than they could chew.
  4. She’s so calm under pressure; she’s as cool as a cucumber.

Exercise 4: Idiom Identification

  1. “He thinks he’s the big cheese around here.”
    • Idiom: Big cheese
    • Meaning: An important person.
  2. “Don’t take his promises seriously; take them with a grain of salt.”
    • Idiom: Take with a grain of salt
    • Meaning: Be sceptical about something.
  3. “She’s eating like a bird these days.”
    • Idiom: Eat like a bird
    • Meaning: To eat very little.
  4. “The new policy is a hot potato.”
    • Idiom: Hot potato
    • Meaning: A controversial issue.

Exercise 5: Create Your Own Sentences

Answers will vary. Here are some examples:

  1. The road was flat as a pancake, making cycling easy.
  2. The coach will cherry-pick players for the team.
  3. The lecture provided plenty of food for thought.
  4. I dropped my phone again; I’m such a butter fingers.
  5. Despite the challenges, she’s a tough cookie and keeps going.