30 Food Idioms in English to Add Flavor to Your Speech

Our first food idiom is bread and butter, which means a source of income or an activity that provides all of the basic necessities to live.

Example:

• Mike got his first bread-and-butter job after graduating high school.
• I’m very passionate about my hobby as a street photographer, but it’s not my bread and butter.

Crying over spilled milk means feeling upset or regretful over something that has already happened. It’s often used to point out that such behavior isn’t helpful.

Example:

• Don’t cry over the spilled milk, it won’t help you get back the money that you’ve lost.
• Making a mistake is not the end of the world, so there is no need to cry over the spilled milk.

When someone brings home the bacon, it means they are working to provide for their family. Curiously, one of the theories about the origin of this idiom dates back to 1906 when a boxing champion was said to “bring home the bacon” after his mother sent him a telegram.

Example:

• I can’t sit around without a job, I need to bring home the bacon.
• Back in the day, women would be stay-at-home mothers while relying on their husbands to bring home the bacon.

A hot potato is among food idioms that refer to a topic or a situation that many people disagree about and no one wants to deal with or resolve the issue.

Example:

• The topic of politics became a hot potato in our family.
• Migration is a hot potato topic in every election.

A hard nut to crack is a situation or a person that is difficult to understand or deal with.

Example:

• A teacher gave us an assignment that was truly a hard nut to crack.
• The new guy in our class still hasn’t made any friends because he is a hard nut to crack.

When someone gives you the information in a nutshell, it means they described it very briefly and using as fewer words as possible.

Example:

• In a nutshell, our prom party went as planned.
• My manager gave me an update about the project in a nutshell.

A smart cookie is used to refer to an overall smart person who has bright ideas or makes the right decisions. Sometimes, this idiom can be used in a sarcastic manner.

Example:

• One of our team members is a smart cookie, so we always follow his directions.
• My sister is such a smart cookie, she decided to switch universities right in the middle of a semester.

Putting all of your eggs in one basket means relying on one thing or an action plan to succeed without having a backup plan. Generally, such food idioms usually start with “Don’t put all eggs in one basket” as a way to caution a person in an instance their plan fails.

Example:

• He put all his eggs in one basket by applying only to one job and thinking he would get it right away.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and look for other alternatives, or you might waste your resources.

If something is selling like hotcakes, it means a lot of people are actively buying it. It’s certainly one of the funny English idioms to memorize for your vocabulary.

Example:

• The new Lana Del Rey album sold out like hotcakes at a record-breaking speed.
• The tickets to our upcoming town festival are selling out like hotcakes.

Spicing things up refers to a way to make something more interesting, exciting, or feel refreshed. Alternatively, it can also be used literally, meaning to add more spice to the recipe.

Example:

• John wanted to spice up his physics essay by throwing some jokes into it.
• We have been married for 25 years now, so we wanted to spice things up by going on a cruise trip across the ocean to gain new experiences.

One of the most commonly used English idioms related to food, to spill the beans means to reveal a secret or tell confidential information to someone. You could also use this idiom in conjunction with some of the different ways to say hi in English.

Example:

• Come on, spill the beans about your date, I’m your best friend.
• We came up with a new business plan, so I hope my partner doesn’t spill the beans too early.

When two people are like two peas in a pod, it means that they are very similar to each other, either in appearance or behavior.

Example:

• Me and my twin sister are like two peas in a pod.
• When I was in elementary school, my best childhood friend and I were like two peas in a pod.

Going bananas essentially means becoming angry or mad. In certain contexts, it can also mean becoming extremely excited over something.

Example:

• My little son goes bananas when I tell him he can’t have sweets before dinner.
• She went bananas when she found out her favorite band was going to play a concert in her hometown.

To egg someone on means to strongly encourage a person into doing something that may not be a very smart idea. Surprisingly, it’s not the last of our English food idioms related to eggs.

Example:

• He keeps getting into trouble at school because his friend keeps egging him on.
• John’s colleagues egged him on to demand a raise, and he actually fell for it.

When someone is walking on eggshells, it means that the person must be very careful in talking to someone or dealing with a situation because the other person tends to be easily offended or upset.

Example:

• Sometimes I feel like I have to walk on eggshells around him when the topic of our future comes up.
• When my wife’s family came to visit on Christmas, I had to walk on eggshells since they didn’t really like me.

Having bigger fish to fry means having other more important or interesting things to do or to attend to. It is one of the oldest used idioms about food mentioned on our list, as its origin dates back to the 17th century.

Example:

• My uncle decided that he was not going to attend our baby shower as he apparently had bigger fish to fry.
• My boss told me I had to tutor a new guy at work, but I have bigger fish to fry.

Being the cream of the crop means being the best or most favorable among all choices presented. This idiom has been adopted from the French phrase ‘la crème de la crème,’ which loosely translates to “the cream of the cream”.

Example:

• The orchids in my garden are the cream of the crop.
• Last year, we had many straight A-students, but Jenny was clearly the cream of the crop.

The apple of one’s eye refers to someone a certain person loves or cherishes the most. It can also mean being extremely proud of someone.

Example:

• The family’s newborn daughter was the apple of their eyes.
• He had many bronze medals, but when he won gold — the trophy became the apple of his eye.

Another one of food phrases and idioms about apples. Being a bad apple means being a troublemaker or someone who does bad things and influences others to commit dishonorable actions.

Example:

• In a society, there are always a few bad apples within a group of people.
• When Marcus went to prison, he became the bad apple of the family.

When someone manages to complete two tasks that are favorable to them but are unlikely to be done at the same time, it means the person has had the cake and ate it too. Essentially, the idiom means “You can’t have it both ways”.

Example:

• He wanted to have his cake and eat it too by going to the party late and still being on time for work in the morning.
• Some people expect to have a high-paying job without needing to pay their taxes. Don’t they know you can’t have a cake and eat it too?

To take the cake means to win a prize or to rank first in something, like a competition.

Example:

• My shepherd’s pie took the cake in the latest baking competition.
• We have heard many convincing arguments about climate change, but this one takes the cake.

The last one of our food-related idioms about cakes, the icing on the cake refers to something extra that makes a good situation or an activity even better than it was before.

Example:

• Our vacation went fantastic, but the hotel we stayed at had such great room service that it was the icing on the cake.
• I was really ecstatic about getting my new job, but when I found out how spacious and modern the office was, it was truly the icing on the cake.

Buttering someone up refers to being extremely kind or trying very hard to please another person because they want them to do something for them.

Example:

• Ted was buttering the boss up the entire month because he wanted to get a promotion.
• If the journalist wants to have their article published on the front page, he must try to butter up the chief editor.

When saying that’s the way the cookie crumbles, it means that an unpleasant situation has occurred and there was nothing that could be done to avoid it, so you just have to accept it.

Example:

• When my son failed his exams because he wasn’t studying hard enough, I told him that’s the way the cookie crumbles in life.
• I had a sore throat all week before the show, so the performance wasn’t really good, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

Comparing apples and oranges refers to comparing two things that are fundamentally different and can’t be objectively juxtaposed with one another. It’s one of the most widely used idioms about food that have a lot of interpretations in other languages as well.

Example:

• Comparing the movies that are based on books with the book itself is like comparing apples and oranges.
• You can’t seriously think that a university and college education is the same, it’s like comparing apples and oranges.

A forbidden fruit is a source of pleasure that is especially attractive because it involves breaking the rules or laws to achieve it. Originally the idiom referred to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, where they ate fruit from the Garden of Eden, which was not allowed.

The concept of forbidden fruit is quite often explored in some of the best movies for English learners.

Example:

• When you are on a diet, desserts and sweets become a forbidden fruit.
• Some students can’t resist the temptation of a forbidden fruit like cheating on important exams, so we must implement harsher punishments.

When something is called a low-hanging fruit, it means that it is something that can be easily obtained or successfully taken advantage of. Essentially, it refers to fruits that hang on the lowest branches of a tree and can be reached without too much effort.

Example:

• Our company might be going bankrupt, but instead, the leaders are focusing on low-hanging fruit issues like replenishing the staff.
• Many businesses nowadays are trying to become more eco-friendly. However, they tackle low-hanging fruit like biodegradable packaging.

One of the most literal idioms for food on our list is food for thought. It refers to the kind of information that is worth being carefully examined and pondered upon.

Example:

• After the philosophy lecture, the teacher left us with a lot of food for thought that I had never considered before.
• Some thought the artist’s performance at the local concept theater was controversial and outrageous, but it gave the audience a lot of food for thought.

Calling someone a couch potato means that person is very lazy and has an inactive life, preferring to sit on a couch all day and watch television.

Example:

• Dave is such a couch potato, I asked him to clean the house while I was at work, and he did not do any of the chores.
• I wanted to invite her over to my apartment, but my roommate is such a couch potato that we could not get any privacy.

When we say something is not our cup of tea, it means that a certain activity, situation, or even a person is not to our liking. What is not surprising is that this food idiom originated in Great Britain in the first half of the 20th century.

Example:

• My boyfriend invited me to a metal band show last night, but such heavy music is not my cup of tea, so I refused.
• My mother insists that I join them for my uncle’s birthday party, but the way he gossips about other family members behind their backs is not my cup of tea.