Articles explaining the meaning and origin of food-related idioms.
I am an expert on everything in the culinary world. You may want to take that with a grain of salt, because, if you believe it, I’ve got some oceanfront property in Arizona you may like. In the previous sentence, you may understand the allusion in the latter idiom without explanation. Arizona does not border any … Read more
When we say something is a hot potato, we are referring to something that is controversial, awkward, embarrassing, difficult, or unpleasant to deal with and which people want to avoid. We often refer, as well, to a ‘political hot potato.’ Either term is most often used in reference to a public issue. But, the idiom … Read more
The phrase “you are what you eat” has been repeated many times, but each person saying it may have had a slightly different agenda. Sometimes, the agenda is to promote viewpoints on nutrition and health. You are what you eat, and if you eat “bad food” you will have bad health. Or, perhaps, you’ll even … Read more
The phrase ‘land of milk and honey’ is an idiomatic expression used today to refer to a place full of comfort and luxury. It is especially used to mean the expectation of such a place when reality does not actually deliver. We might say, “he came to America expecting a land of milk and honey.” Land … Read more
The name of a dog food and the subject of at least one blues song by W.C. Handy, gravy train is a slang term which refers to easy money that just keeps on rolling in, with little effort required. Say, for instance, you receive a large inheritance from a mysterious relative, which comes in monthly installments: You … Read more
Every once in a while, you may hear someone say, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.” When they say it, it doesn’t sound as innocent as what the Kool-Aid man dispenses after he crashes through a wall. They say it as a warning, critically, and with some portent. It isn’t because they question the artificial flavors and colors, and … Read more