Articles explaining the meaning and origin of food-related idioms.
Have you ever stopped to consider just how essential butter is to our daily lives? Other spreads like cream cheese might try to claim the spotlight, but butter remains the undisputed king of the kitchen for many across the globe. Its cultural importance is so deeply rooted that it has flavored our language just as … Read more
When we call something a ‘red herring,’ we mean that it is a diversionary tactic meant to set us off in an irrelevant direction – a false trail, if you will. It is sometimes called a red herring argument. What in the world does a fish have to do with diversion and logic? Red Herring in … Read more
Today, we use the phrase ‘square meal’ to refer to a full, balanced meal. We might say, “Boy, I’m full. That was a square meal” or “I’m hungry, let’s find a place we can get a square meal.” It basically means a good and filling meal. One good meal is called a square meal but we also … Read more