English Idioms and Expressions
Idioms: Food and Drink-1
from: 'acquired taste' to: 'slice of the cake'
- acquired taste
- Something that you dislike when you first taste it, but begin to like after trying it several times, is
an acquired taste.
"Tony has always loved olives, but for me it was an acquired taste."
- Something that you dislike when you first taste it, but begin to like after trying it several times, is
an acquired taste.
- apple of your eye
- A person, usually a child, who is the apple of your eye is one for whom you have great affection.
"My grandson is the apple of my eye."
- A person, usually a child, who is the apple of your eye is one for whom you have great affection.
- (compare) apples and oranges
- This expression means that it is senseless to try to draw similarities between two things that are very different.
"Comparing modern kitchen appliances to 18th century utensils is like comparing apples and oranges."
- This expression means that it is senseless to try to draw similarities between two things that are very different.
- apple-pie order
- If something is in apple-pie order, it is well organised or in perfect order.
"They made sure the house was in apple-pie order before their parents arrived back home."
- If something is in apple-pie order, it is well organised or in perfect order.
- go bananas
- If someone becomes very emotional and starts behaving in a crazy way, they go bananas.
"If you announce that you are going to drop out of school, your parents will go bananas!"
- If someone becomes very emotional and starts behaving in a crazy way, they go bananas.
- full of beans
- A person who is full of beans is lively, healthy and active.
"He may be getting old but he's still full of beans."
- A person who is full of beans is lively, healthy and active.
- spill the beans
- If you spill the beans, you reveal a secret or talk about something private.
"Come on! Spill the beans! What did he say?"
- If you spill the beans, you reveal a secret or talk about something private.
- beef something up
- If you beef something up, you improve it by making it stronger, more effective or more substantial.
"You'd better beef up your arguments if you want to defend your case."
- If you beef something up, you improve it by making it stronger, more effective or more substantial.
- bread and butter
- Your bread and butter is a job or activity that is your main source of income and provides you with enough money
to cover your basic needs.
"I’m a writer but teaching is my bread and butter."
- Your bread and butter is a job or activity that is your main source of income and provides you with enough money
to cover your basic needs.
- brown as a berry
- To say that someone is as brown as a berry means that they are very tanned.
"Judy came back from her holiday as brown as a berry."
- To say that someone is as brown as a berry means that they are very tanned.
- that takes the biscuit!
- If something takes the biscuit, or the cake, it is the most annoying, absurd, ridiculous, or foolish thing of its kind.
“The new majority has introduced some surprising measures but the last one takes the biscuit!”
- If something takes the biscuit, or the cake, it is the most annoying, absurd, ridiculous, or foolish thing of its kind.
- know which side your bread is buttered
- If you know which side your bread is buttered, you know where your interests lie or what will be to your advantage.
"Jack never argues with his father-in-law. He knows which side his bread is buttered."
- If you know which side your bread is buttered, you know where your interests lie or what will be to your advantage.
- take the bread out of somebody's mouth
- If you take the bread out of somebody's mouth, you take away their means of earning a living.
"The decision to ban street vendors took the bread out of the mouths of many people."
- If you take the bread out of somebody's mouth, you take away their means of earning a living.
- butter somebody up
- When you butter someone up, you flatter them or you are very nice to them, especially if you want to obtain something.
"He was so keen to get the job that he spent his time buttering up the boss."
- When you butter someone up, you flatter them or you are very nice to them, especially if you want to obtain something.
- butter wouldn't melt in your mouth
- If you say that someone looks as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouth, you mean that they look completely innocent,
but that they are capable of being cheeky or doing unpleasant things.
"The boy who stole the purse looked as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth."
- If you say that someone looks as if butter wouldn't melt in their mouth, you mean that they look completely innocent,
but that they are capable of being cheeky or doing unpleasant things.
- (a) piece of cake
- To refer to something as a piece of cake means that you consider it to be very easy.
"The English test was a piece of cake!"
- To refer to something as a piece of cake means that you consider it to be very easy.
- (a) slice/share of the cake (or pie)
- When people feel entitled to a share of the profits or benefits, they want a (larger) slice of the cake.
"Since profits are higher this year, the workers feel they deserve a bigger slice of the cake."
- When people feel entitled to a share of the profits or benefits, they want a (larger) slice of the cake.
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