Test your English: food idioms

Food idioms are much more common than most people seem to think. Here’s a quick test:

1. It was easy to find your house. With the detailed map you gave me, it was a piece of ___.

2. Talking about racism is a real hot ___ for many Americans.

3. You’re telling me you want to buy a good stereo but you don’t want to spend more than 100 dollars? Sorry… you can’t have your ___ and eat it, too.

Easy, huh? More food idioms below:

4. Don’t believe anything my grandma says. She’s really nutty as a ___.

5. Looking at that cake makes my mouth ___.

6. After I realized my mistake, I had to ___ my words.

7. Ok, I know you trust him, but that story sounds phony. Take it with a grain of ___.

8. I didn’t mean to spill the ___, but I guess I said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Sorry.

9. It was bad enough that he was lying. But when he mentioned the names of the others involved, his situation went out of the ___ and into the fire.

10. The new Backstreet Boys CD is selling like ___.

11. It would take days to explain everything I know. But I can tell you in a ___ right now if you want me to.

Answers

1. It was easy to find your house. With the detailed map you gave me, it was a piece of cake. (1.300.000 Google occurrences – one of the most common food idioms)

2. Talking about racism is a real hot potato for many Americans. (730.000 Google occurrences)

3. You’re telling me you want to buy a good MP3 player but you don’t want to spend more than 100 dollars? Sorry, Bob, you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. (960.000 Google occurrences)

4. Don’t believe anything my grandma says. She’s really nutty as a fruitcake. (60.000 Google occurrences)

5. Looking at that cake makes my mouth water. (600.000 Google occurrences)

6. After I realized my mistake, I had to eat my words. (164.000 Google occurrences)

7. Ok, I know you trust him, but that story sounds phony. Take it with a grain of salt. (470.000 Google occurrences)

8. I didn’t mean to spill the beans, but I guess I said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Sorry. (430.000 Google occurrences)

9. It was bad enough that he was lying. But when he mentioned the names of the others involved, his situation went out of the frying pan and into the fire. (107.000 Google occurrences)

10. The new Backstreet Boys CD is selling like hotcakes. (370.000 Google occurrences)

11. It would take days to explain everything I know. But I can tell you in a nutshell right now if you want me to. (6.000.000 Google occurrences)

Thanks for reading. I hope you found some of these food idioms useful.