How can I learn idioms: food in English?

The most effective way is spaced repetition: practice this deck of 33 flashcards using the Flashcards, Learn, Write, and Match modes. The system shows you each word right before you're about to forget it, so you retain it long-term instead of just memorizing it for a test.

How many words are in the idioms: food deck?

This deck has 33 cards at level B2, each with pronunciation audio and an example sentence.

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Idioms: food

Learn English idioms that use food as a metaphor, from "sell like hot cakes" to "cool as a cucumber".

B233 cards

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Flashcards

Flip each card and rate how well you remembered it. That is how we learn when to show it to you again.

Learn

A quiz that adapts to your pace: multiple choice that progresses to typing the answer.

Write

Listen to the word and type it. Great for practicing spelling and pronunciation.

Match

Match the words against the clock. A fun, low-pressure way to review.

Terms in this deck

not my cup of tea
something you don't like or aren't interested in
sell like hot cakes
to sell very quickly and in large quantities
in a pickle
in a difficult situation
have your cake and eat it too
to want two good things when you can only have one
cool as a cucumber
very calm, especially under pressure
a bad apple
a person who has a bad influence on a group
the icing on the cake
an extra good thing that makes a good situation even better
spice things up
to make something more exciting
egg someone on
to encourage someone to do something, often risky
full of beans
very energetic and enthusiastic
that's the way the cookie crumbles
that's just how things happen sometimes
the proof is in the pudding
the real value of something is proven by results, not words
small potatoes
something unimportant or insignificant
go bananas
to become very excited or very angry
couch potato
a person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching TV
butter someone up
to flatter someone to get something from them
a hot potato
a controversial topic that's difficult to deal with
have a lot on your plate
to have many responsibilities or tasks
sour grapes
pretending not to want something because you can't have it
as easy as pie
very easy to do
bread and butter
the main source of income
food for thought
something worth thinking seriously about
milk it for all it's worth
to get as much benefit from a situation as possible
bring to the table
to offer something as a contribution
a finger in every pie
to be involved in many different activities or projects
that takes the cake
used to say something is the most extreme example of its kind, often bad
have other fish to fry
to have more important things to do
packed like sardines
crowded very tightly together
a piece of the pie
a share of something valuable, like profits
have a sweet tooth
to love eating sweet food
cream of the crop
the best of a group
salt of the earth
a very good, honest, and reliable person
out to lunch
not paying attention, or out of touch with reality

How to study this deck

Food idioms are very frequent because everyone understands the images: "a piece of cake", "the icing on the cake". Learn each with its figurative meaning and use it in a real situation. Remember they are not translated literally, so study them with the full phrase and not only the key words.

The trickiest words

not my cup of tea: it means something is not to your taste: "Horror movies are not my cup of tea".
have your cake and eat it too: it means wanting two incompatible things at once, usually in the negative.
cool as a cucumber: it means very calm under pressure.

Examples in context

Horror movies aren't my cup of tea.
She stayed cool as a cucumber during the interview.
His friends egged him on to jump.
That expense is small potatoes compared to the total budget.
Immigration policy is a political hot potato.
Tourism is the bread and butter of this town.
She's got a finger in every pie at the company.
Everyone wants a piece of the pie.

Mini dialogue

A: Do you like horror movies?
B: Not really. They are not my cup of tea.
A: The tickets sold like hot cakes.
B: And she stayed cool as a cucumber on stage.