IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS USING ‘FOOD AND DRINK’

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR PHRASAL VERBS AND IDIOMS

IDIOMS AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS USING ‘FOOD AND DRINK’

Complete these sentences with items of food or drink, and write your answers in the crossword grid on the next page.

Across
3	Mr Taylor is the best computer programmer I've ever met. He certainly knows his _____!
4	Don't _____ me with so many questions at once. I can only give you one answer at a time.
5	Was the exam difficult? No! It was a piece of _____!
6	Liverpool are playing Arsenal in the Cup Final. Liverpool are certain to win: Arsenal are easy _____!
7	You're such a couch _____. Why don't you turn off the television, throw away those empty pizza boxes and go for a walk?
10	When the police asked him if he had robbed the shop, he spilled the _____ and told them everything.
11	Maggie was a bit rude to me when I was offered the job that she had applied for. It was probably just sour _____.
12	I don't get paid much for the work I do. My boss pays me _____.
13	I'm not surprised you never have any money left by the middle of the month. You spend it like _____!
16	You're such a _____ fingers: you're always dropping things and breaking them.
18	Sarah's new boyfriend is more than twice her age, but he's very rich. Perhaps I should look for a _____ daddy as well!
19	What are you smiling about? You look like the cat who got the _____.
21	You look really embarrassed. You've gone as red as a _____!
24	I stay at home and look after the children, and my wife goes out to work. Well, one of us has to bring home the _____.
25	It only takes one bad _____ to give a company a bad reputation.
26	I hate flying. Whenever I have to get on a plane, I go cold all over and my legs turn to _____.
Down
1	I'm not the boss of the company. Mrs Manser is the big _____ here.
2	Your latest excuse for being late is pathetic! It really takes the _____!
4	Manchester United just scored again. You should have seen it: it was a _____ of a goal!
6	Our new manager is very enthusiastic. Everyone agrees that he's as keen as _____.
8	Are you cold? I'll turn the heating on. Before you know it, you'll be as warm as _____!
9	I told him to sit down and behave, and he just blew a _____ at me!
10	You're mad, crazy, deranged, completely _____!
14	Mr Lewis is the _____ of the earth: he's a good, honest man and everyone respects him.
15	What on earth are you wearing? You look a right _____!
17	I really don't like horror films. They're not my cup of _____.
19	Andy is always calm and relaxed. He never panics or loses his temper. He's as cool as a _____.
20	When the United Nations decided that the war was illegal, the President was left with _____ on his face.
21	If you are unhappy about your job, do something. Don't just _____ about it.
22	Toby Morrison would be ideal for the job. He works hard and he's a really smart _____.
23	Brenda's new boyfriend is very good looking, but he's not very intelligent or interesting. He's just a bit of eye _____.

ANSWER KEY

Across: 3. onions. Somebody who knows their onions knows a lot about their job or profession. This is a slightly oldfashioned expression. 4. pepper. If you pepper someone with questions, you ask them a lot of questions, usually quite quickly. Pepper can be used in other situations to mean containing a lot of: The report was peppered with mistakes. 5. cake. Something that is a piece of cake is very easy. We can also say as easy as pie: The test was as easy as pie. 6. meat. Something or someone who is easy meat is very easy to defeat. If someone is in serious trouble with someone else, we can describe them (very informally) as dead meat: If you borrow my car again without asking, you're dead meat! 7. potato. A couch potato is someone who spends a lot of time watching television and not getting any exercise. 10. beans. When you spill the beans, you confess or admit to something wrong that you have done (usually when under pressure from someone, such as the police). 11. grapes. Sour grapes is criticism of something that you make because you cannot have it. 12. peanuts. If someone pays you peanuts for doing a job, they pay you very little money. 13. water. Someone who spends money like water spends a lot of money very quickly. 16. butter. Someone who has butter fingers or who is a butter fingers is often dropping things. Butter can be used in other expressions. For example, "Billy Brannigan looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, but in fact he's the best salesman in the company" ( = Billy Brannigan looks a bit weak, but he is in fact a very efficient, confident person). 18. sugar. A sugar daddy is a humorous expression for an older man who gives a younger woman expensive presents, especially in exchange for a romantic or sexual relationship. There is no female equivalent of this word, but a young man who goes out with an older woman is sometimes humorously called a toy boy. 19. cream. Someone who looks like the cat who got the cream looks very happy. 21. beetroot. If you go as red as a beetroot (or just go beetroot), your face becomes very red, usually because you are embarrassed. A beetroot is the root of a vegetable that is cooked and eaten cold in salads, but is in fact more purple in colour than red. 24. bacon. The person or people in a family who bring home the bacon earn the money which supports the family. We sometimes call the work that you do for money your bread and butter: "Teaching English is my bread and butter". The person who makes money for their family is called the breadwinner. 25. apple. A bad or rotten apple is someone in a group who does bad things and therefore has a negative effect on the whole group. 26. jelly. If your body, or part of your body, turns to jelly or feels like jelly, you start to shake and feel weak because you are nervous or frightened. Jelly is a sweet food that shakes when you touch or move it (called Jell-O in the USA). Down: 1. cheese. The big cheese is a humorous expression for the most important person in a company or organisation. In the USA, people sometimes use the expression head honcho. Cheese can be used in other expressions, including chalk and cheese: Although Rick and Chris are brothers, they're chalk and cheese ( = Rick and Chris are very different from each other). 2. biscuit. If something takes the biscuit, it is the most silly, stupid or annoying thing in a series of things. 4. peach. A peach of something is very good. This is a slightly old-fashioned expression. Peach is also sometimes used to describe an attractive woman (Debbie McKenzie is lovely. She's a real peach!), but this might be considered sexist by some people. 6. mustard. Someone who is as keen as mustard is very keen / enthusiastic. Mustard can also be used in the expression cut the mustard: I'm afraid we can't offer you the job. You're very keen, but you just don't cut the mustard (= you are not good enough for this job). 8. toast. A person or a place that is as warm as toast is comfortably warm. 9. raspberry. When you blow a raspberry at someone you make a rude noise with your mouth and tongue (in the USA, this is known as a Bronx cheer). 10. bananas. This is a humorous word for someone who behaves in a mad or crazy way. We can also say nuts or crackers*. 14. salt. If someone is the salt of the earth, they are a good, honest person who people respect. More informally, we could call that person a good egg. 15. lemon. A person who is or looks a lemon is or appears to be stupid or not effective. This word can also be used to describe something that you buy that does not work properly: I spent £14000 on this car, and it's a complete lemon! 17. tea. If something is your cup of tea, you like or enjoy it. This expression is usually used in the negative. 19. cucumber. A person who is as cool as a cucumber is very relaxed and does not show extreme emotions such as fear or panic. 20. egg. If you have or are left with egg on your face, you are embarrassed because of something you have done. This expression is often used when talking informally about politics and politicians. 21. beef. If you beef about something, you complain a lot about it. 22. cookie (a cookie is the North American word for a biscuit). A smart cookie (sometimes called a tough cookie) is someone who has a strong character or is intelligent, and deals well with problems and disappointments. 23. candy (candy is the North American word for chocolate). If we describe something as eye candy, it is nice to look at, but not very useful. * There are a lot of English idioms and other words and expressions that can be used (often humorously, but not politely) to describe someone who is mad or insane, or who behaves in a mad way. Here are a few: barmy; off his / her rocker; out of his / her tree; dotty; potty; batty; out to lunch; round the bend; potty; bonkers; stark staring bonkers; stark raving mad; a nutcase; a nutter; a basket case; a fruitcake; as nutty as a fruitcake; as mad as a hatter; as mad as a March hare; as mad as a box of frogs; a loony; a crackpot; two sandwiches short of a picnic; a few cards short of a full deck; a few bricks short of a full load; he's / she's lost his /her marbles; he's / she's got toys in the attic; gaga; doolally (these last four are often used to describe old people who are going senile) Be very careful how and when you use these words and expressions: they are not politically correct (= they are not considered acceptable in many situations, and some people might be offended by them