Idioms in America are vast and versatile. They're used in all sorts of contexts and they incorporate a seemingly endless range of subjects.
With that being said, food is a recurring theme in English idioms.
Food brings people together, and everyone can relate when it comes to food. Food-based idioms, like all idioms, have a figurative meaning which usually greatly differ from their literal meaning. You can't take an idiom literally—more often than not, it'll sound like gibberish.
Advance your knowledge of the English language with these 20 commonly-used food idioms and boost your skills as an English speaker!
1. Piece of Cake A "piece of cake” refers to something that is very easy to do.
If your teacher gives you a short assignment and you finish it quickly, you might say, "That was a piece of cake!" because it was so simple and painless to achieve.
2. In a Pickle The phrase “in a pickle” has nothing to do with actual pickles. Instead, it refers to someone in a tricky or difficult situation.
Imagine you've been tasked with sending an important email to a key shareholder on behalf of your company, but you're not sure how to approach it. In this case, you could say “I'm in a pickle and need some help sending the perfect email .”
3. Half-Baked When something is "half-baked," it means that it's poorly planned or not very well thought out.
This can apply to ideas and situations, but we don't say this about people. Check out BoldVoice Coach Nathan explaining this food idiom in detail:
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4. Bring Home the Bacon "Bringing home the bacon" refers to earning money or being successful at work. It’s thought to originate from a time when bringing bacon home was a symbol of providing for the family.
You could say, "My recent promotion has really helped me bring home the bacon."
5. Bread and Butter "Bread and butter" refers to a person’s specialty, or something they're really good at.
If you're a successful real estate agent , for example, you could say, "Open houses are my bread and butter. I almost always find interested buyers!"
6. Bite Off More Than You Can Chew When you take a huge bite from a sandwich that's too big to fit in your mouth, chewing becomes difficult. This idiom describes a situation where someone takes on too much work or responsibility.
If a friend says, "I’m trying to handle a big project and plan a party at the same time, " you might reply, "Sounds like you’re biting off more than you can chew.”
7. Cry Over Spilled Milk To "cry over spilled milk" means to waste time being upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.
You can use this phrase this way: "Yes, you made a mistake, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk."
8. Cool as a Cucumber This idiom means remaining calm and relaxed, even in stressful situations. It suggests that someone is unbothered and composed.
Assuming you’re interviewing a job applicant and they confidently answer multiple tough interview questions , you might say they are cool as a cucumber.
9. Butter Someone Up To "butter someone up" is to try to make them feel good so they're more likely to say yes when asking for a favor.
In a statement, you could say, “I'll try to butter my mom up and cook her dinner so she'll let me go to the party.”
10. Take It with a Grain of Salt You shouldn’t always believe everything people say—that’s what this phrase means.
It’s a way of saying you should be a little careful or doubtful about what you hear, especially when it sounds unlikely.
If someone tells you a story that seems too good to be true and you don't trust it to be entirely true, you're taking it with a grain of salt.
11. Apple of Someone’s Eye When someone is the apple of your eye, they're a person that you care deeply about.
Often used romantically , this food idiom can also apply to other close relationships like close family members. It can even be used to describe beloved objects, in the right context!
"Sarah's little brother is the apple of her eye; she adores him.”
12. Full of Beans "Full of beans" is a fun, informal way to casually say that someone is very energetic and enthusiastic. It's basically saying they have a lot of energy and are always on the go.
For example, "My dog is always full of beans when we go to the park."
Interestingly enough, this particular idiom also has a second, entirely unrelated meaning. To say that someone is "full of beans" can also mean that they're not telling the truth, either intentionally or by accident.
"Don't listen to Sarah—she's full of beans."
13. Bad Apple Unlike the apple of one’s eye, a person who is described as a "bad apple" is someone who is corrupt or harmful within a group.
It implies that this person is a negative influence or a source of trouble, much like a bad apple in a barrel can spoil the rest.
For instance, "one bad apple in the team can really affect the morale of everyone else."
14. Have Your Cake and Eat It Too This idiom implies that you can't have two things at once; you either drop one or drop both.
When used correctly, it means that someone is expecting too much from a particular situation.
For example: "He wants all of the benefits of marriage without actually committing. He's trying to have his cake and eat it too."
15. In Hot Water The idea of being "in hot water" represents being in an uncomfortable situation or in trouble.
Let's imagine you're a chef in a busy restaurant and one of the servers accidentally mixes up multiple orders. Now, everyone is in hot water, scrambling to fix these errors because the restaurant's reputation could be at stake.
16. As Easy as Pie "As easy as pie" is an idiom that means something is very simple or effortless. It's essentially the same meaning as "a piece of cake," just with a different sweet treat! Interesting, huh?
For example, "Learning to ride a bike was as easy as pie."
17. Egg on Your Face To have "egg on your face" is a phrase used when someone does something embarrassing or humiliating, often in a way that they did not expect. This also means that the person has ended up looking foolish, like they literally had eggs smeared on their face.
For example, "He really ended up with egg on his face after that loss."
18. Sweeten the Deal When you want to make an offer more appealing, you might "sweeten the deal " by throwing in something extra. This phrase connotes tipping the scales so that the other person says yes.
For instance, if someone is hesitant about buying your used phone, you might “sweeten the deal” by including a case and screen protector for free.
19. Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen "Too many cooks in the kitchen" means that when too many people try to take charge of the same task, it can cause confusion or make things worse. If a bunch of IT experts try to debug some code and they keep suggesting different ideas at the same time, it might get messy.
You could say, “I think we’ve got too many cooks in the kitchen” to show that there are too many opinions or actions preventing real progress.
20. Icing on the Cake This phrase describes something that makes an already good situation even better. It's like adding a delicious layer of frosting to a cake to enhance its taste and appeal.
You could use this idiom like this: “Winning the lottery after getting a promotion would be the icing on the cake.”
Conversely, you can use this idiom sarcastically to comment on an already bad situation that's gotten worse.
"I got a flat tire on the way to work this morning, and as the icing on the cake, I missed a meeting with my superior."
Practice Food Idioms with BoldVoice You’ve just devoured 20 popular American food idioms. These idioms are fun to use, and mastering them can dramatically improve your communication, especially when interacting with native speakers.
If you want to fully grasp food idioms or American idioms in general, BoldVoice has made the process as easy as pie. BoldVoice is an AI-powered language and accent training with hundreds of course materials and lessons from real-life Hollywood coaches.
With BoldVoice, you also get opportunities to practice these idioms and receive instant personalized feedback that can help you continuously improve.
As the icing on the cake, BoldVoice offers a 7-day free trial when you sign up, giving you the perfect chance to access all its features. Sign up to BoldVoice and get started today!
