30 Idioms based on Food
Click on any idiom for more information, including example sentences, notes and quizzes.
These are English idioms based on food and cooking. You can also try this Food Idioms Quiz
Idioms
(have) egg on your face Informal
You have egg on your face if you've said or done something wrong, and it's made you feel embarrassed or stupid.
a couch potato
You can say someone's a couch potato if they're very lazy and they spend a lot of time sitting around watching TV and eating junk food.
a flash in the pan
You can say something or someone is a flash in the pan if they're popular or effective for a short time only.
a recipe for disaster
Something is a recipe for disaster if it's going to cause trouble or serious problems.
chew the fat | chew the rag
If you chew the fat, or chew the rag, you have a long, friendly chat with someone.
eat humble pie
If you eat humble pie, you admit that you are in the wrong and behave apologetically.
in a nutshell Informal
You can say "in a nutshell" if you're about to describe something as briefly as possible, or you're going to sum something up.
junk food
Food that is bad for us because it contains large amounts of harmful substances like artificial colouring, preservatives, salt, refined sugar, and so on.
kill the goose that lays the golden egg
If you kill the goose that lays the golden egg, you destroy something that has made you a lot of money.
not your cup of tea
If something is not your cup of tea, it's not what you like or what you're interested in.
on the back burner
If a plan or a project is on the back burner, it isn't being worked on at present, but it might be completed in the future.
put all your eggs in the one basket Informal
If you put all your eggs in the one basket, you put all your efforts or resources into one person, one thing or one plan, and if things don't work out, you lose everything.
take with a grain of salt | take with a pinch of salt
If you take what someone says with a grain of salt, or with a pinch of salt, you have doubts about the truth or accuracy of what they say.
talk turkey
If you talk turkey, you discuss something seriously, usually to do with business or money.
the cream of the crop
If something or someone is in the cream of the crop, they are among the best of a class of things or people.
the icing on the cake | the frosting on the cake
If something is the icing on the cake, or the frosting on the cake, it makes a good situation or a good result even better.
upset the apple cart
If you upset the applecart, you do something that causes trouble or upsets someone's plans.
whet your appetite
If something whets your appetite, it makes you want something, or it stimulates your desire for something.
You are what you eat.
You can say "you are what you eat" when you want to point out the connection between food and health.
