FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Expressões idiomáticas e provérbios ingleses que fazem uso de palavras

que têm qualquer relação com a alimentação
Compilação: Alvamar Helena de Campos Andrade Lampareli (nov/2002)

 “Without a bean”: Sem vintém, inteiramente liso, quebrado, na maior penúria.

 “What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” (male goose): O tratamento deve
ser igual para todas as pessoas independente de qualquer outra consideração, inclusive de
sexo. O provérbio é citado quando alguém está sendo tratado com desfavor ou sem a
mesma consideração dispensada a outra de sexo diferente.”
 “You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs”: Small sacrifices of some kind
must be made in order to attain one’s purpose.
 “Too many cooks spoil the broth”: If too many people try to do the same thing at the
same time, the task will be done badly.
 “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”: One can only prove something by putting it
into action or use.
 “It’s no use crying over split milk”: If one cannot change a bad result, disappointment,
etc, then there is no use making oneself unhappy about it.
 “Half a loaf is better than none”: We should be thankful for what we receive even
though we hoped to receive more.
 “Forbidden fruit is sweetest”: The things which we cannot have are the things we want
the most, forbidden things are the most attractive and exciting.
 “Fine words butter no parsnips”: Fine words are no substitute for effective actions.
 “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”: It is risky to concentrate all one’s hopes,
chances, money, etc, on only one thing, for if this one thing is lost there will be nothing
left.
 “Don’t count your chicken before they hatch/are hatched”: Do not be sure of success
until all difficulties have been overcome.
 “As warm as toast”: Used of the way someone is clothed warmly in winter, or of a
pleasantly warm room.
 “As smooth/soft as butter”/ “As smooth as oil”: Used to describe something soft,
creamy.
 “As like as two peas in a pod/beans”: Used to refer to two persons or things that are
very much alike in appearance or character.
 “As keen as mustard”: Used of a person who is very critical and exact in his
expectations or demands on others. It also means “eager to do something”.
 “As flat as a pancake/ a board”: May be used of very flat countryside or any flat
surface. They are also used (informal, uncomplimentary) of a woman’s flat figure.
 “As cool as a cucumber”: Used of a person who remains calm at a time of difficulty or
danger.
 “A red herring”: An unimportant or irrelevant matter which is introduced into a
discussion to distract attention from the important matter which is being discussed.
 “To have other fish to fry”: To have other, more important things to attend to.
 “A pretty kettle of fish”: A state of disorder, confusion, difficulty or trouble.
 “To want jam on it“ (informal): To want everything, not to be satisfied with something
which is already good, but to want still more or something still better.
 “To spill the beans”: To tell a secret, let out information, news, before one should do so.
 “To separate the wheat from the chaff”: To distinguish the good from the bad, the
useful from the worthless, etc.
 “To rule the roost”: To be in control, to dominate (as the cock does in the hen house).
 “To quarrel with one’s bread and butter”: To quarrel with the source of one’s income
(usually one’s employer).
 “To pour oil on troubled waters”: To try to settle a quarrel or bring calm to a troubled
situation by using soothing words.
 “To mince (one’s) words”: Not to speak frankly because one wants to be polite.
 “To know which side one’s bread is buttered on”: To know what is most advantageous
for one, to know what to do or who to please in order to remain in a good situation or to
avoid a bad one, and will not do anything risky or unexpected.
 “To hold out the olive branch”: To show someone that one is willing to make peace or
to be friendly again after a quarrel, etc.
 “To hear something through/over the grape-vine”: To hear something through an
unofficial source, through gossip.
 “To fish in troubled waters”: To try to get a personal advantage from a disturbed or
troubled situation.
 “To fish for compliments/information”: To try to get it by indirect questions.
 “To curry flavour (with someone)”: To try to win favour by flattering him.
 “To cut it fine”: To leave oneself with only a minimum of time in which to do
something.
 “To chop and change”: To change one’s ideas, actions, choice, very frequently.
 “To buy a pig in a poke”: To buy something one has not seen before which turns out to
be useless.
 “To butter someone up”: To flatter him hoping to gain an advantage.
 “To burn the midnight oil”: To work or study until late in the night.
 “To burn the candle at both ends”: To use up a lot of one’s daily energy by being busy
very late or very early, thus damaging one’s health.
 “It (all) boils down to...”: It means.../ it can be summarized as.../ reduced to...
 “To take the cake/biscuit”: To surprise everyone by one’s conduct, i.e., by being the
best, the worst, the strangest, etc.
 “To upset the apple-cart”: To spoil a plan or something which was well organised.
 “A bone of contention”: A subject of disagreement or argument.
 “To have a bone to pick with someone”: To complain to him about something he has
said or done which did not please you.
 “To make no bones about (saying/doing) something”: To say/do it openly and without
hesitation or pretence, although it may not be pleasant.
 “To have a finger in the pie”: To be concerned in the matter.
 “To have a finger in every pie”: To be concerned with many matters, often for personal
gain.
 “To have a sweet tooth”: To enjoy eating sweet things.
 “One can’t make head or tail of something”: One can’t understand it at all, i.e., the
matter is unclear or too difficult to understand.
 “To eat/feed out of somebody’s hand”: To do everything which he wishes willingly,
without protest.
 “He can’t/couldn’t/won’t/wouldn’t say boo’ to a goose": He is very timid or quiet by
nature.
 “To make one’s mouth water”: To cause one to have a strong desire for something (e.g.
food or drink) by talking about it, thinking about it or seeing it.
 “To make mincemeat of someone”: To show one’s superiority either physically or with
words over another person.
 “To keep the pot boiling”: To earn enough money to by one’s food.
 “To have too many irons in the fire”: To have too many interests, or jobs or works to
do at the same time, for any of them to receive sufficient attention.
 “To go against the grain”: To be opposed to one’s feelings, wished, ideas.
 “To be in a stew”: To be confused or nervous because of difficulties.
 “To be in the soup”: To be in difficulties.
 “To be in hot/deep water”: To be in trouble/ in (dangerous) difficulties (e.g. financially).
 “To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth”: To be born into a rich or influential
family.
 “To be no chicken”: Means to be no longer young (not complimentary).
 “To boil something down”: Reduce its length, summarize .Ex: He didn’t give his
proposals in full but just had time to boil them down to the essentials.
 “To eat one’s word”: To admit that what one had said was wrong.
 “To eat humble pie”: To apologise, to humble oneself, to humiliate oneself by having to
apologise.
 “To burn one’s finger”: To suffer because you have interfered or meddled in someone
else’s affair.
 “The bread and butter”: Of a person or organization is the activity or work that
provides their main source of income. Ex: Comedies and pantomimes are the bread and
butter of the local theatre”.
 “The bread and butter issues/questions”: Are those that are the most basic and
important in relation to a particular subject. Ex: People vote only on immediate, bread-
and-butter issues.
 “To be the best thing since sliced bread”: You are emphasizing how good you think it
is.
 “In apple-pie order”: It is tidy and everything is in its correct place; used showing
approval. Syn: shipshape
 “The apple of someone’s eyes”: You are extremely fond of them or proud of them. Ex:
She had another son, who was the apple of her eyes. Syn : Favourite.
 “A storm in a tea-cup”: A lot of excitement and discussion about a trivial matter.
 “(a) pie in the sky”: Promises or hopes which are unrealistic and thus useless.
 “Money for jam”: Money earned without any effort.
 “The milk of human kindness”: A feeling of sympathy for other people.
 “A flash in the pan”: Something which lasts only a short time; an effort or partial
success which soon turns to failure; a short-lived outburst of enthusiasm for something.
 “A fish out of water”: A person who feels uncomfortable in his present surroundings.
 “Crumbs from a rich man’s table”: A small comfort or compensation given to a poor
and unfortunate by the rich or more fortunate.
 “A bull in a china shop": An awkward, tactless or clumsy person.
 “A baker’s dozen”: Thirteen.
 “A bag of bones”: A very thin person.
 “An apple of discord”: The subject of envy or quarrel.
 “A working lunch/dinner”: A meal at which the participants discuss business.
 “A wild goose chase”: A search for something which has no chance of being successful.
 “Welsh rabbit/rarebit”: Hot buttered toast covered by hot melted cheese.
 “(the) upper crust (of)”: The highest social class.
 “A sugar daddy”: A rich, elderly man who favours a young woman financially in return
for special attentions.
 “A stuffed shirt”: A pompous, conceited person, extremely formal and old –fashioned.
Syn: dullard.
 “To know one’s stuff/ one’s onions”: To be good at doing something because they are
experienced at it and know a lot about it. You know or you have learnt a lot about a
particular subject.
 “To be stuffed-up”: To have the passages of your nose blocked with mucus so that you
cannot breath properly though it. Syn: Bunged up (Bung: A round piece of wood, cork,
rubber which you use to close the hole in something such as a barrel or flask (stopper).
 “Sour grapes”: A desirable thing which is not obtainable and is therefore despised.
 “Small fry”: Insignificant persons or matters.(arraia miúda)
 “A sitting duck”: A person or object that is easy to attack, injure, a good target.
 “Seasoned timber”: Wood that has been left to dry thoroughly, so that there is no sap in
it.
 “A sandwich course” (GB): A course of training with a period of practical work in
between two full-time periods of study.
 “A sausage-dog”(GB): a dachshund.
 “One’s salad-days”: The time when one is young and unexperienced.
 “A round dozen”: A full dozen, neither more nor less than twelve.
 “A raw deal”: Unjust or harsh treatment.
 “An old salt”: An experienced sailor.
 “A hot potato”: An issue that is awkward and embarassing to deal with.
 “a henpecked husband”: One who is dominated by his wife.
 “A Dutch treat”: Entertainment (a meal, a film) where each person pays his own share.
”To go Dutch”
 “A cock-and-bull story”: An invented story, foolish and hard to believe.
 “Dog-in-the-manger policy”: Followed by a man who prevents others from enjoying
something which is useless to himself or for which he has no interest.
 “A run-of-the-mill job”: An average, ordinary, unexciting job.
 “Cut and dried”: Settled, decided. Ex: Jim’s a very good speaker. He always has his
opinions cut and dried and states them very firmly.
 “To cut something short”: To bring something to an end before the proper time. Ex: We
had to cut short our discussion because the boss had to go to a meeting.
 “A hard nut to crack”: A difficult problem to solve or a difficult situation to deal with.
 “Deadpan”: Use to describe somebody’s face which shows no emotion and has only the
same dull expression.
 “A dead heat”: Is applied to the result of a race or competition where two or more
competitors are equally as good as each other, i.e., there is no winner.
 “Steamed up”: Excited, enthusiastic, worked up. Ex: You come on half-naked to get
them all steamed up about you, so why grumble when you succeed?
 “Bite off more than one can chew”: Attempt to do more than one is able to. Ex: I’m
trying to study for a degree while doing my normal work, and I’m afraid I may have
bitten off more than I can chew.
 “Bite the hand that feeds one”: Be ungrateful, turn against someone who has been
helpful.
 “Blow hot and cold”: Continually change one’s mind about something first being for it,
then against it. Ex: I don’t know whether Joe is coming with us on the trip or not: he
keeps blowing hot and cold about it.
 “Boiling point”: Point where a person shows that she/he is excited, very angry. Ex: As
one thing after another went wrong, his temper reached boiling point.
 “Bring a lump to one’s throat”: Make one feel emotional (as if about to weep) Ex:
Waving goodbye to him brought a lump to my throat.
 “Browned/cheesed off”: Bored; fed up; annoyed. Ex: We’ve been kept waiting for over
an hour and we’re getting a bit browned/cheesed off.
 “(look as if) butter wouldn’t melt in one’s mouth”: Apparently, but not really very
innocent or well-behaved. Ex: The little girl looked as if butter wouldn’t melt in her
mouth, but she was actually very mischievious.
 “Carrot and stick”: Reward and punishment. Ex: We are using both the carrot and stick
to make our son work for his exams; if he passes he gets a bicycle; if he fails he won’t be
allowed to go on holiday with his friends.
 “Chicken feed”: Small amount of money; anything of little importance.
 “Chickens come home to roost”: One pays the penalty for something done earlier. Ex:
That student went to parties almost every night last term, but now his chicken have come
home to roost; he failed all his exams.
 “Cock of the walk”(usually a vain or boastful) person who is in charge, or is the best,
most successful.
 “Cock a snook at”: Show one’s disrespect for. Ex: The students took every opportunity
to cock a snook at authority.
 “To cook one’s goose”: Cause something bad to happen to one, spoil one’s plans
intentionally or unintentionally. Ex: In the history exam it was the last question that
cooked my goose, i.e., caused me to fail.
 “Cook the books”: Commit a fraud by changing records.
 “Cup of tea”: The sort of thing or person one likes. Ex: I’ve never been to opera; it’s not
my cup of tea (i.e.) it does not appeal to me.
 “As different as chalk from cheese”: Very different. Ex: You would never believe that
X and Y is brothers. They are as different as chalk from cheese.
 “(just about)do one’s nut”: Be extremely angry. Ex: When he saw what a mess the
children had made of his car, he did his nut.
 “done/burnt to a frazzle”: Overcooked; burnt. Ex: We couldn’t eat the meat; it was done
to a frazzle.
 “Eat one’s cake and have it too/ have one’s cake and eat it too”: Make a choice
between one of two things, and still want the benefits of the second thing. Ex: If people
had higher wages they couldn’t expect lower prices; they couldn’t eat their cake and have
it too.
 “Eat one’s heart out”: Be unhappy and miserable usually for a long period of time. Ex:
During the whole time that her father was away the little girl ate her heart out.
 “Fat chance”: Very little likelihood.
 “Fat is in the fire”: Something has happened which will bring trouble.
 “(live off/on the) fat of the land”: (live in the) very best, most comfortable
circumstances. Ex: He has plenty of money; he has been living off the fat of the land for
years.
 “Flash in the pan”: Achievement which is not typical, and which will not be repeated.
Ex: Jack is really not a very good runner; his victory in the trials was probably just a flash
in the pan.
 “To foam at the mouth”: Be very angry, upset.
 “Food for thought”: Something to think about, especially a problem or difficulty. Ex:
The teacher warned Jim that he would fail if he did not work harder and this gave him
some food for thought.
 “Full of beans”: Active, lively, in good spirits.
 “Get up steam”: Start working hard at something; start making progress. Ex: Let’s not
stop now when we are just getting up steam.
 “Give something a (quick) butcher’s”: Look at something quickly, glance at something.
 “Go against the grain”: Be different from the way in which one normally acts or would
like to act. I’m afraid I’ll have to speak firmly to Miss Jones for coming in late, although
it goes against the grain.
 “Grease/oil someone’s palm”: Brine someone, pay for a favour.
 “Green cheese”: Feeling of envy at someone else’s good fortune. Ex: Jim does not like
Sam. I think it’s green cheese since Jim earns more than Sam does.
 “Half-baked”: Badly thought of; silly. Ex: They had some half-baked notion of raising
money holding a pop concert.
 “have/had one’s chips”: (about to) fail, be beaten, die. Ex: There’s somebody trapped at
the top oft the building; I think the poor chap has had his chips.
 “In a nutshell”: Very briefly. Ex: We have very little time left; could you please explain
your point of view in a nutshell?
 “In the melting-pot”: Not yet decided. Ex: Our main speaker cannot come, so all the
arrangements are back in the melting pot again.
 “Keep the pot/kettle boiling”: Keep an exciting activity going, not let things calm down
or stop. Ex: The audience kept the pot boiling by shouting encouragement to the players.
 “Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”: Destroy something that brings one wealth,
profit.
 “Know how many beans make five”: Be sensible, clever. Ex: You won’t fool him: he
knows how many beans make five.
 “lame duck”: 1) somebody who cannot survive without a help. 2)(US) politician whose
period of office is coming to an end. Ex: The present administration is a lame duck
administration, so nothing can be expected of it.
 “Lay an egg”: 1) be surprised, alarmed, angry; Ex: When the boss finds that broken
window, he will lay an egg. 2)(US)(with reference to a performance, joke) fail
completely; Ex: The show laid an egg and was cancelled after 2 performances.
 “Leave a bad/bitter/nasty taste in one’s mouth”: Leave one feeling annoyed, disgusted.
 “Let off steam”: 1) Express one’s feeling Ex: We had better hold a public meeting,
because people will want to let off steam on this issue. 2) get rid of one’s energies. Ex: At the
end of the term the students let off steam by having a gig parade.
 “Melt into thin air”: disappear completely
 “Neither fish nor fowl”: (used to criticize something) not completely one thing or
another; not in any one particular class. Ex: Skeptics say the result would be neither fish nor
fowl, awkward as a PDA and awkward as a phone.
 “No relish for”: No liking for; dislike, fear of. Ex: I’m not going there; I’ve no relish for
heights.
 “(as) nutty as fruitcake”: insane, crazy.
 “Off one’s food”: not wanting to eat. Ex: I’m not keeping well; I’ve been off my food
for several days.
 “(a) piece of cake”: something extremely easy.
 “pot calling the kettle black”: Someone who is guilty of a certain fault accusing
someone else of having the same fault.(“roto falando do esfarrapado”)
 “Queer fish”: strange person
 “salt of the earth”: very best kind of people.
 “save one’s bacon”: save oneself; run away from danger.
 “say a mouthful”: say something which means a lot more that one might think. Ex:
Whoever said that said a mouthful: he has more money than everyone else does.
 “Scrape (the bottom of) the barrel”: Get use of the very worst quality (usually because
nothing better is available)
 “The pit of your stomach”: You can refer to very deep feelings that you seem to feel in
the area of your body around your stomach as being felt in the pit of your stomach. Ex: No
one should underrate the worry in the pit of their stomach as a new volunteer... The ache in
the pit of their stomach was no worse than the one in her heart.
 “Out of the frying pan into the fire”: From a difficult or dangerous situation into a
worse one. Ex: His first marriage was unhappy but his second was even more unhappy. It was
a real case of out of the frying pan into the fire. (sair da lama e cair no atoleiro).
 “Two bites at/of/ second bite at the cherry" : Two chances to do something.
 “Sell like hot cakes”: be sold very quickly.
 “Shoot off one’s mouth”: 1) talk about things one should be keeping secret; talk about
something one really does not know much about. Ex : Don’t go around shooting off your
mouth/your mouth off; 2) Talk in a proud, boastful way. Ex: He’s always shooting his mouth
off about how important his job is.
 “Short and/but sweet”: Lasting a short time but direct, not wasting any words; shorter
than expected. Ex: His answer was short and sweet: “Get out of my house and never come
back”.
 “(no) skin off one’s nose”: Something that has a bad effect, cause any worry on one. Ex:
That book doesn’t belong to me so I don’t care what you do with it; it’s no skin off my nose
if you cut it up.
 “By the skin of one’s teeth”: Narrowly, by a small margin. Ex: I didn’t do ell in the
exam, I just got through by the skin of my teeth.
 “Escape by the skin of one’s teeth” :Have a narrow escape.
 “(do a) slow burn”: (show) slowly increasing feelings of anger. Ex: I watched the
customer doing a slow burn as the sales assistant continued to ignore him”.
 “Lick/smack/ one’s chops/lips": Look forward to something with great eagerness.
 “Small/little fish/frog in a big pond”: Person of little importance in a big organization.
 “Sow one’s wild oats”: Do the wild, foolish things that young people often do.
 “Square meal”: Complete meal. Ex: We’ve been living on biscuits and water; we
haven’t had a square meal for ages.
 “Stew in one’s own juice”: Ex: Suffer without any help from others the results of what
one has done. Ex; He was very nasty to everyone and now no one will speak to him; let him
stew in his own juice.
 “Strike/knock all of a heap”: cause to be very surprised”: Ex; The unexpected news
struck us all of a heap.
 “Sugar the pill”: Try to make something unpleasant easy to accept.
 “Take the gilt off the gingerbread”: Spoil the effect of something; make something less
good that it might have been; spoil something that is otherwise enjoyable. Ex: We had a great
trip but our flight home was badly delayed, which took the gilt off the gingerbread.
 “Take something with a pinch of salt”: Not believe something easily or completely.
Ex: Jack tends to get things confused. I would take anything he says with a pinch of salt.
 “Talk turkey”: Have a serious, honest, practical discussion. Ex: Let’s talk turkey and
get this matter settled.
 “Teach one’s grandmother to suck eggs”: Try to teach someone things he is already an
expert in.
 “Tell the sheep from the goats” = “Tell the wheat/grain from the chaff.”
 “Throw/pour cold water on”: Point out all the problems and disadvantages of
something.
 “To the brim”: full. Ex: He filled our glasses to the brim, i.e, they could not contain any
more.
 “Under one’s own steam": 1) If you go somewhere under your own steam you make
your own arrangements for the journey, rather than letting someone else organize it for you.
Ex: Most hotels organize tours to inland beauty spots, but car hire is cheap enough to
consider taking off into the hills under your own steam. 2) If you do something under your
own steam you do it on your own and without help from anyone else. Ex: He left the group
convinced he could do better under his own steam
 “Upper crust”: People in the highest level of society = upper hand
 “(have the) whip/upper hand": be in control
 “Use one’s head/loaf”: Use one’s intelligence.
 “Water off a duck’s back”: Something that has no effect, result. Ex” He takes a lot of
criticism from his colleagues, but it is all water off a duck’s back- he pays absolutely no
notice.
 “Whet the appetite”: 1) Make one all the more ready to eat. Ex: This dish is only to
whet your appetite. The main dish comes later. 2) Make one anxious to have more of
something. Ex: The few books that he was able to afford simply whetted his appetite for more
study.
 “Worth one’s salt”: Deserving what one is paid; good enough (to do one’s job). Ex:
Any electrician worth his salt will fix that for you.
 “World is one’s oyster”: One can work or live anywhere in the world or one can do
anything (because one has some advantage)
Ex: If you are a doctor you will be welcome to work anywhere. The world is your oyster.
 “Work one’s finger to the bone”: work very hard.

Bibliografia:

Seidl / Mc Mordie. English Idioms and how to use them. Oxford University Press, 1978.

Wallace, Michael J. Dictionary of English Idioms. Collins ELT, 1981.

Collins Cobuild Dictionary of Idioms. The University of Birmingham - Collins Cobuild. Harper
Collins Publishers, 1995.