English idioms relating to FOOD

The apple of your eye.	If somebody is the apple of your eye, this means that you like  them very much :  "My grandson is the apple of my eye".
Apple-pie order	If something is in apple-pie order, it is very well organized or in  perfect order.  "They made sure the house was in apple-pie order before their parents   arrived back home."
Go bananas	If someone becomes very emotional and starts behaving in a crazy way,  they go bananas.  "If you announce that you're going to drop out of school, your parents  will go bananas!
Be full of beans	A person who is full of beans is lively, active and healthy.
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?"
Brown as a berry	To describe someone is brown as a berry means that they are very tanned.
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."
That takes the biscuit!	This expression refers to something very irritating or annoying.  "After waiting for an hour, we were told that there were no seats left.  That really took the biscuit!"
Butter someone up	When 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."
Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth	If you say that somebody looks as if butter wouldn't melt in their  mouth, you are saying that they look completely innocent, but that  they are capable of 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!"
Have your cake and eat it	To say that someone wants to have their cake and eat it means  that they want the advantages of two alternative situations when only  one is possible .  "Jack enjoys his comfort but is always complaining about the cost  of things.  He can't have his cake and eat it!"
Slice/share of the cake (or pie)	When people feel entitled to a share of the benefits or profits, 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."
Sell like hot cakes	Things that sell like hot cakes sell quickly or in large quantities.
The cake/the game is not worth  the candle	To say that the cake (or the game) is not worth the candle means   that the advantages to be gained from doing something are not worth   the effort involved.   "He recorded an album but sold very few copies; the cake wasn't worth   the candle!"
Carrot and  stick	If you use a carrot-and-stick approach, you use the promise of  reward and the threat of punishment to make somebody work harder.  "Some parents use a carrot-and-stick approach to obtain good results  from their children."
Big cheese	This expression refers to a person who has a lot of power and influence  in an organization.  "Tom's father is a big cheese in the oil industry."
Like chalk and cheese  (as different as chalk and cheese)	Two people who are like chalk and cheese are completely  different from each other.
Cheesed off	If someone is cheesed off with something, they are annoyed, bored  or frustrated.  "Julie is absolutely cheesed off with her job.
Get a second bite/ two bites at the cherry	This expression means that you get a second opportunity to do or  try something.  "He was eliminated in the semi-finals but he'll get a second bite  at the cherry next year."
Life is just a bowl of cherries!	This expression means that life is pleasant and uncomplicated.  "Now that he's retired, my grandfather often says  "life is just a bowl of cherries".
Old chestnut	A story, a joke or an idea that has been repeated so often that  it has lost its novelty is referred to as an old chestnut.  "The story about his boat capsizing has become an old chestnut!"
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!	The expression 'that's the way the cookie crumbles' means  'that is the way things are and nothing can be done about it' -  that's life'!
Sharp cookie	Someone who is not easily deceived or fooled is a sharp cookie.  "You can't fool my grandmother.  She's a sharp cookie!"
Tough cookie	A person who is a tough cookie is one who is self-confident and  ambitious and will do what is necessary to achieve what they want.  "I'm not worried about Jason's future.  He's a tough cookie!"
Cream rises to the top	This expression means that 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!"
Cool as a cucumber	A person who is as cool as a cucumber is a person who is  not anxious, but relaxed and non-emotional.
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.   They'd eat you out of house and home!"
Egg someone on	If you egg somebody on,  you urge or strongly encourage them to  do something.  "She didn't really want to learn to drive but her children kept egging  her on."
A bad egg	To refer to someone as a bad egg means that they cannot be trusted.  "I don't want my son to be friends with Bobby Smith.  Bobby's a bad egg."
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."
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 very hard  about something.  "The documentary on poverty in the world really gave me food for thought."
Play gooseberry	If you play gooseberry, you join or accompany two people who have a  romantic relationship and want to be alone.  "They invited me to join them but I didn't want to play gooseberry."
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."
Sour grapes	To refer to someone's attitude as sour grapes means that  they are making complaints or accusations because they are jealous.
Walk  and chew gum  (at the same time)	If you can walk and chew gum, you are able to do more than   one thing at a time.   This expression is often used negatively to indicate incompetence.   "Why did you hire that guy? He can't walk and chew gum at the   same time!"
Icing on the cake	If something is referred to as icing on the cake, it is an extra benefit  that makes a good situation even better.  "Good news!  I get the job ... and the icing on the cake is that  I get a company car too."
Money for jam	A very easy way of earning money is called money for jam.   "All you've got to do is hand out brochures.  It's money for jam!"
Milk of human kindness	Someone who has, or is full of, the milk of human kindness, is  naturally kind and compassionate to others.  "She's a wonderful person - full of the milk of human kindness."
It's no use crying over spilt milk	This expression means that it is useless to complain or have regrets  about something that is done and cannot be changed.  "Sometimes I regret not accepting the offer, but it's no use crying  over spilt milk."
A sledgehammer to crack a nut	Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut means using disproportionate  force to solve a problem or obtain a result.  "He called the police because his neighbour was rude? - Now that's  using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!"
Go nuts	To say that a person has gone nuts means that they have become  completely foolish, eccentric or mad.
Olive branch	If a person or organization holds out an olive branch to another,  they show that they want to end a disagreement and make peace.  "The protesters finally accepted the olive branch extended to them."
Go pear-shaped	If plan or project goes pear-shaped, it either goes wrong or it   produces an undesirable result.  "Jane organized a treasure hunt in the park for the kids but it all   went pear-shaped and everyone was disappointed.."
Like two peas in a pod	To say that two people are like two peas in a pod means that they  are very similar in appearance.  "It wasn't difficult to identify the brothers  - they were like two peas  in a pod!"
Pie in the sky	If an idea, wish or promise is "pie in the sky", it is completely   unrealistic or unlikely to be achieved.   "The promise of low-cost housing for everyone turned out to be pie   in the sky."
Hot potato	To refer to a subject as a hot potato means that it is  a very sensitive and controversial matter which is difficult to deal with.  "The new Prime Minister hasn't been confronted with any hot potatoes yet."
In a pickle	If you are in a pickle, you are in a difficult situation and need help.  "My car won't start and the trains are on strike today - I'm in a real pickle!"
Easy as pie	To say that something is easy as pie means that it is very easy to do.  "How did the English test go? - No problem - it was easy as pie!"
Eat humble pie	If you eat humble pie, you have to admit that you were wrong and  apologize.  "After openly criticizing Bill's work, Fred had to eat humble pie when  Bill was elected "salesman of the year"!
Pie-eyed	Someone who is pie-eyed is completely drunk.   "He had never taken an alcoholic drink so after one beer he was   pie-eyed."
Plum job	A desirable position which is well-paid and considered   relatively easy is called a plum job.   "Ideally he'd like to find himself a plum job in New York."
Plum in your mouth	Someone who speaks with an upper class accent is said to have   a plum in their mouth.  "He speaks just like an aristocrat - with a plum in his mouth!"
Couch potato	If you refer to someone as a couch potato, you criticize them for  spending a lot of time sitting and watching television.   "Don't be such a couch potato.  There are better ways of spending your  time than in front of the TV."
Mouse potato	This term refers to a person who spends a lot of time in front of the  computer.  "My son and his friends are all mouse potatoes - constantly glued to  the computer!"
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.	This expression means that something new can only be judged  after it has been tested.  "I'm going to try out my new DVD player. The proof of the pudding is in   the eating as we all know!"
Take something with a grain of salt.	To say that certain information should be taken with a grain of salt  means that you doubt the accuracy of the information.  "I heard that the tuition fees are going to be reduced, but that should be   taken with a grain of salt."
Square meal	When people talk about a square meal, they mean a substantial   and satisfying meal.   "I don't need a fancy restaurant, just a place where I can get a square   meal."
Worth one's salt	This expression is used to say that a person who does their job well  would or would not do certain things.  "Any inspector worth his salt would have checked the papers carefully."
Make your mouth water	Food can make your mouth water when it looks and smells extremely  good.  "That delicious smell from the kitchen is making my mouth water."