English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions 

FOOD and DRINK, page 3

from:  'useful as a chocolate teapot'   to:  'food for thought'

• (as) useful as a chocolate teapot
  • Something which is of no practical use at all is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.
    "When there are no roads, a car is about as useful as a chocolate teapot!"
    
    
• that's the way the cookie crumbles
  • To say 'that's the way the cookie crumbles' means that is the way things are and nothing can be done about it - that's life!
    
    
• (a) sharp cookie
  • Someone who is not easily fooled or deceived is a sharp cookie.
    "You can't fool my grandmother. She's a sharp cookie!"
    
    
• (a) tough cookie
  • A person who is a tough cookie is someone with a strong and determined character who is not easily intimidated, discouraged or defeated.
    "I'm not worried about Jason's future - he's a tough cookie!"
    
    
• cream rises to the top
  • Someone or something exceptionally good will eventually attract attention or stand out from the rest, just as cream rises to the top in coffee or tea.
    "I knew you'd succeed. As the saying goes: 'cream rises to the top'!"
    
    
• (as) cool as a cucumber
  • A person who is as cool as a cucumber is not anxious, but relaxed and non-emotional.
    "The bride's mother stayed as cool as a cucumber all through the ceremony."
    
    
• drink like a fish
  • A person who drinks like a fish is one who drinks a lot of alcohol.
    "I get nervous if Ben drives when we go out because he drinks like a fish!"
    
    
• drink (someone) under the table
  • If you drink someone under the table, you drink more alcohol than someone else (for example at a party or bar), without becoming drunk.
    "When Bob was a young man, he could drink his friends under the table!"
    
    
• eat like a bird
  • A person who eats very little or only small portions of food is said to eat like a bird.
    "No wonder she's so thin. She eats like a bird!"
    
    
• eat you out of house and home
  • This is a humorous way of saying that someone is eating large quantities of your food.
    "I stock up with food when my teenage sons invite their friends over. They'd eat you out of house and home!"
    
    
• grab a bite to eat
  • If you grab a bite to eat, you get something to eat quickly.
    "We should have time to grab a bite to eat before the show."
    
    
• egg someone on
  • If you egg someone on, you urge or strongly encourage them to do something.
    "Anne didn't really want to learn to drive but her children kept egging her on."
    
    
• (a) bad egg
  • Someone who is a bad egg is an untrustworthy person often involved in trouble whose company should be avoided.
    "I don't want my son to be friends with Bobby Smith. Bobby's a bad egg!"
    
    
• (a) nest egg
  • If you have a nest egg, you have a reserve of money which you put aside for future needs.
    "Our parents consider the money from the sale of their house as a nest egg for their old age."
    
    
• can't make an omelette without breaking eggs
  • This expression means that it is impossible to make important changes without causing some unpleasant effects.
    "Some people will lose their jobs after the merger, but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs."
    
    
• have all your eggs in one basket
  • If you have all your eggs in one basket, you depend on one plan or one source of income.
    "If you invest your savings in one bank, you'll have all your eggs in one basket."
    
    
• over-egg the pudding
  • If you try to improve something excessively by adding unnecessary details, you over-egg the pudding.
    "Keep your report simple. Don't over-egg the pudding."
    
    
• food for thought
  • If something gives you food for thought, it makes you think seriously about a particular subject.
    "The documentary on poverty in the world really gave me food for thought."