Practice
Food idioms: understand figurative English in context
Sign in to saveWhen Mina calls her niece the apple of her eye, she is not describing fruit. The family context shows that Mina means her niece is deeply loved.
Recognize common food idioms, work out their figurative meanings from context, and choose a register that fits the situation.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Take that story with a grain of salt. /teɪk ðæt ˈstɔː.ri wɪð ə ɡreɪn əv sɒlt/
The short answer
Understand a food idiom from the whole situation, not from each word alone. The apple of someone's eye is a much-loved person, sour grapes describes bitter criticism after disappointment, and butter someone up means flatter someone to get a favor.
After losing the contract, Malik said the job was boring anyway. That sounds like sour grapes.
Why it works: Malik may be criticizing the job because he did not get it. No grapes are involved.
6 more examples
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Samira's grandfather says she is the apple of his eye.
Samira is a person her grandfather loves very much.
Not this:Samira put
an appleon the table beside her grandfather. What changes: This sentence is literal because it names a piece of fruit. -
After her proposal was rejected, Elena called the project pointless. It was sour grapes.
Elena's criticism may come from disappointment after not getting what she wanted.
Not this:The grapes tasted
sourbecause they were not ripe. What changes: Here sour describes the taste of real fruit. -
Take Diego's traffic prediction with a grain of salt; he has not checked the road report.
The speaker advises caution because Diego's prediction may be unreliable.
Not this:Add
a grain of saltto the soup before serving it. What changes: This is a cooking instruction, so salt has its literal meaning. -
The tickets sold like hot cakes after the band announced an extra show.
Many people bought the tickets quickly.
Not this:The cafe
sold hot cakesat the morning market. What changes: The cafe sold actual food, not another product quickly. -
Jonas buttered up his neighbor before asking to borrow a ladder.
Jonas gave flattering praise because he wanted a favor.
Not this:Jonas
buttered the breadfor lunch. What changes: This sentence describes putting butter on food. -
Too many cooks spoiled the broth when every manager changed the event plan.
Too many people made decisions about one task, and the plan suffered.
Not this:Two
cooks prepared brothfor the restaurant kitchen. What changes: This sentence is about people preparing food.
Read the full guide
First, decide whether the sentence is about real food. Then look for the speaker's purpose. Are they showing affection, reacting to disappointment, warning you to be careful, praising someone, or describing a crowded plan? The purpose gives the idiom its meaning.
Start with the situation
Do not try to translate an idiom word by word. Ask what is happening in the sentence and why the speaker chose the expression. The answer usually gives you the figurative meaning.
Lina is the apple of her aunt's eye.
The aunt feels special affection for Lina. The expression does not describe an apple.
What does apple of her aunt's eye mean in this situation?
It means Lina is someone her aunt loves very much.
Recognize bitter criticism after disappointment
Use sour grapes when somebody dismisses something after failing to get it. The phrase suggests that the criticism may come from disappointment or envy. It can sound judgmental, so do not use it carelessly.
Rafi said he never wanted the promotion after another colleague received it.
If Rafi wanted the promotion, his comment may be sour grapes.
Is sour grapes a neutral way to describe another person's feelings?
No. It suggests that the person's criticism comes from disappointment, so it can sound unfair or critical.
Show caution about a claim
Take something with a grain of salt means treat information with some doubt. Use it when a claim may be exaggerated, incomplete, or based on weak evidence. It does not mean that the claim is definitely false.
Take the rumor about the store closing with a grain of salt until the owner confirms it.
The speaker advises checking the rumor instead of accepting it immediately.
What should you do after hearing a claim you take with a grain of salt?
Look for better information before you decide that the claim is true.
Describe quick sales
Say that a product sells like hot cakes when many people buy it quickly. The idiom describes strong demand. It fits a casual description of tickets, books, or another popular product.
The reusable water bottles sold like hot cakes at the festival.
The bottles were popular and sold very quickly.
Which idiom describes a new product that customers buy very quickly?
You can say that the product sells like hot cakes.
Notice praise with a purpose
Butter someone up means give someone extra praise because you want something from them. The listener may notice that the praise is strategic rather than simple appreciation. Use the phrase in informal situations.
Before asking for a later deadline, Asha buttered up her supervisor.
Asha praised her supervisor because she hoped the request would be accepted.
Why might butter someone up sound negative?
It can suggest that the praise is meant to influence someone instead of being fully sincere.
Keep one plan under control
Too many cooks spoil the broth is a warning about too many people directing one task. It does not mean that teamwork is always a problem. It means a group needs clear roles and a way to make final decisions.
The website launch was delayed because too many cooks were changing the design.
Several people kept making changes, so the group could not settle on one plan.
What problem does too many cooks spoil the broth describe?
It describes a task becoming worse when too many people try to control it.
Before you go
Remember this
Read the situation before deciding what a food idiom means. Use apple of someone's eye for a loved person, sour grapes for bitter criticism after disappointment, and take something with a grain of salt for a claim that needs caution. Choose a direct phrase when an idiom could confuse the listener.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Food idioms: understand figurative English in context"
What does the apple of someone's eye mean?
The apple of someone's eye is a person who is loved very much. It is often used for a child, partner, friend, or family member. The phrase is figurative, so it does not refer to fruit or to a person's actual eye.
Samira's grandfather says she is the apple of his eye.
When do people say sour grapes?
People use sour grapes when someone criticizes something after failing to get it. The expression suggests that disappointment may be behind the criticism. Because it judges another person's motive, use it carefully in conversation.
Samira put an apple on the table beside her grandfather.
What does take it with a grain of salt mean?
Take it with a grain of salt means do not accept a claim as fully reliable until you have checked it. The phrase asks for caution, not automatic disbelief. It is useful when information may be exaggerated or incomplete.
After her proposal was rejected, Elena called the project pointless. It was sour grapes.
What does sell like hot cakes mean?
Sell like hot cakes means sell quickly and in large numbers. Use it for a product, ticket, book, or similar item that has strong demand. It is an informal way to say that many customers are buying something fast.
The grapes tasted sour because they were not ripe.
Is butter someone up formal English?
Butter someone up is informal. It means praise someone because you want them to do something for you. In formal writing, say that someone used flattering praise to influence another person if that meaning needs to be stated clearly.
Take Diego's traffic prediction with a grain of salt; he has not checked the road report.