Idioms are phrases or expressions used by native speakers in everyday communication. If you want to communicate naturally or if you are preparing for the IELTS exam, you definitely can’t ignore them. Using idioms correctly will help you score high in the IELTS Writing and IELTS Speaking exams! azVocab categorizes idioms by different topics, and this time it’s Idioms on the topic of Food and Drinks. These idioms will include vocabulary related to food and drinks.
| IDIOMS | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| A piece of cake | something that is very easy to do | I was worried about taking the test, but it was a piece of cake. I got 100%. |
| Bite off more than one can chew | to try to do something that is too difficult for someone | We bit off more than we could chew in our original reform proposals. |
| Bread and butter | a job or activity that provides you with the money you need to live | Teaching is my bread and butter. |
| Bring home the bacon | to earn money for a family to live on | I’m looking for a job. I need to do something to bring home the bacon. |
| Cheap as chips | very cheap | I didn’t pay much for these shoes. In fact, they were as cheap as chips. |
| Chew the fat | to talk with someone in an informal and friendly way | We just got some drinks and chewed the fat all night. |
| Cry over spilled milk | to feel sorry or sad about something that has already happened; used to emphasize that this is not helpful | It’s a waste of time crying over spilled milk, he says; you just have to move on with your life. |
| Cup of tea | something one prefers, desires, enjoys, or cares about | Rap music is not my cup of tea; I prefer rock. |
| Dish the dirt | to tell people unpleasant or shocking personal information about someone | He offered to dish the dirt on her, but I told him I don’t listen to gossip. |
| Eat dirt | suffer insults or humiliation | He bullied his employees and made them eat dirt. |
| Eat like a horse | to always eat a lot of food | She has a very healthy appetite, she eats like a horse. |
| Eat like a pig | to eat a lot of food, usually in a greedy or disgusting manner | He has terrible table manners, he eats like a pig. |
| Have a finger in every pie | To be involved in several different activities or enterprises at once, especially when maintaining some level of influence over those activities | She wouldn’t be so busy and stressed if she didn’t have a finger in every pie. |
| Out to lunch | unaware of or inattentive to present conditions | I always thought she acted strangely, she was totally out to lunch. |
| Spill the beans | tell a secret | So, spill the beans! What happened last weekend? |
| Take something with a grain of salt | don’t take something seriously | You have to take everything she says with a grain of salt, because she tends to exaggerate. |
| Stuff your face | eat greedily | He’s always stuffing his face. No wonder he’s so fat. |
| Make one’s mouth water | if the smell or sight of food makes your mouth water, it makes you want to eat it | The smell of that bacon cooking is making my mouth water. |
| Put all one’s eggs in one basket | risk all of one’s resources in a single venture | I applied to several colleges so I wasn’t putting all my eggs in one basket. |
| A hard nut to crack | a problem that is very difficult to solve or a person who is very difficult to understand | This problem is getting me down. It’s a hard nut to crack. |
| Can’t cut the mustard | to not be able to deal with problems or difficulties in a satisfactory way | If he can’t cut the mustard, then we’ll get someone else to do the job. |
| (From) soup to nuts | from the beginning to the end; including everything | The whole building, soup to nuts, cost less to build than that parking lot. |
| Food for thought | something worth thinking seriously about | Thank you for your suggestion – it gave us a lot of food for thought. |
| Have bigger/other fish to fry | to have something more important to do | I hope the boss keeps this meeting short – we all have other fish to fry. |
| Cook someone’s goose | to do something that spoils someone’s plans and prevents them from succeeding | Just tell her we can’t – that’ll cook her goose. |
| Wine and dine someone | to entertain someone with food and drink, esp. expensive food and drink | They wine and dine clients in festive tents, promoting their image of achievement and success. |
| Have a sweet tooth | to desire to eat many sweet foods-especially candy and pastries | John eats candy all the time. He must have a sweet tooth. |
| An acquired taste | something that you dislike at first, but that you start to like after you have tried it a few times | Olives are an acquired taste. |
Above are idioms related to the Food and Drink topic. Let’s continue exploring idioms on other topics with azVocab. Good luck with your studies!
