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35 Popular Food Idioms with Meaning for ESL Learners

35 Popular Food Idioms with Meaning for ESL Learners

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List of Useful Food Idioms in English! In this article, you will find the detailed explanations of idioms related to food that you could use in your daily conversation.

Learn more about Sweet Idioms in English with Meaning and Examples.

Food Idioms in English

List of Food Idioms

  • (Don’t) cry over spilled milk
  • (Have a) bun in the oven
  • (Have one’s) cake and eat it too
  • (Have something) handed to someone on a silver platter
  • (Not my) cup of tea
  • Apple of one’s eye
  • Bad egg
  • Big cheese
  • Bread and butter
  • Bring home the bacon
  • Butter someone up
  • Carrot top
  • Cheesy
  • Cool as a cucumber
  • Cream of the crop
  • Cup of joe
  • Egg someone on
  • Freeze one’s buns off
  • Full of beans
  • Gravy train
  • Hard nut to crack
  • Hot potato
  • In a nutshell
  • Nuts about something, someone
  • One smart cookie
  • Out to lunch
  • Peach fuzz
  • Piece of cake
  • Put all of one’s eggs in one basket
  • Sell like hot cakes
  • Souped up
  • Spice things up
  • Spill the beans
  • Take something with a pinch (grain) of salt
  • Use your noodle

Idioms about Food with Meaning

(Don’t) cry over spilled milk

  • Meaning: Get upset over something that has happened and cannot be changed

(Have a) bun in the oven

  • Meaning: Be pregnant

(Have one’s) cake and eat it too

  • Meaning: Want more than your fair share or need

(Have something) handed to someone on a silver platter

  • Meaning: Receive without working for something

(Not my) cup of tea

  • Meaning: Something you enjoy (usually used negatively)

Apple of one’s eye

  • Meaning: A person that is adored by someone

Bad egg

  • Meaning: A person who is often in trouble

Big cheese

  • Meaning: Very important person (VIP)

Bread and butter

  • Meaning: Necessities, the main thing

Bring home the bacon

  • Meaning: Earn the income

Butter someone up

  • Meaning: Be extra nice to someone (usually for selfish reasons)

Carrot top

  • Meaning: Person with red or orange hair

Cheesy

  • Meaning: Trite, silly

Cool as a cucumber

  • Meaning: Very relaxed

Cream of the crop

  • Meaning: The best

Cup of joe

  • Meaning: Cup of coffee

Egg someone on

  • Meaning: Urge someone to do something

Freeze one’s buns off

  • Meaning: Be very cold

Full of beans

  • Meaning: Have a lot of (silly) energy

Gravy train

  • Meaning: Extremely good pay for minimal work

Hard nut to crack

  • Meaning: Difficult to understand (often a person)

Hot potato

In a nutshell

  • Meaning: Simply

Nuts about something, someone

  • Meaning: Like a lot

One smart cookie

  • Meaning: A very intelligent person

Out to lunch

  • Meaning: Crazy or mad

Peach fuzz

  • Meaning: A small amount of hair growth

Piece of cake

  • Meaning: Very easy

Put all of one’s eggs in one basket

  • Meaning: Rely on one single thing

Sell like hot cakes

  • Meaning: Bought by many people

Souped up

  • Meaning: Made more powerful or stylish

Spice things up

  • Meaning: Make something more exciting

Spill the beans

  • Meaning: Reveal the truth

Take something with a pinch (grain) of salt

  • Meaning: Don’t consider something 100% accurate

Use your noodle

  • Meaning: Use your brain

Idioms about Food | Infographics

food idioms

food idioms

35 Popular Food Idioms with Meaning for ESL Learners 1

35 Popular Food Idioms with Meaning for ESL Learners 2

35 Popular Food Idioms with Meaning for ESL Learners 3