# Food Idioms Advanced

https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/idioms-expressions-c1-food-idioms-vocab

- CEFR: C1 (Advanced)
- Theme: Idioms & Expressions
- Words: 20
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Food idioms for describing expertise, honesty and unrealistic plans, with phrases like eat humble pie, know your onions and pie in the sky.

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## Word list

* **sour grapes**: Pretending not to want something after failing to get it. — “He said the award didn't matter, but it sounded like **sour grapes**.”
* **the proof is in the pudding**: The real value of something can only be judged by the actual results it produces. — “The plan sounds great, but **the proof is in the pudding** — let's see if it actually works.”
* **spice things up**: To make an activity or event more interesting or exciting than it currently is. — “They added a dance number to **spice things up** for the finale.”
* **a bun in the oven**: Expecting a baby. — “They announced they had **a bun in the oven** at the family dinner.”
* **gravy train**: A situation where money can be earned easily, with little effort. — “Once the contract was signed, the whole department was on the **gravy train**.”
* **eat humble pie**: To admit you were wrong and apologise, often after being proven mistaken. — “After his prediction failed, he had to **eat humble pie** in front of the whole office.”
* **when life gives you lemons, make lemonade**: Try to find something positive in a bad or difficult situation. — “She lost her job but started a business — **when life gives you lemons, make lemonade**.”
* **know your onions**: To be very knowledgeable and skilled in a particular subject. — “Ask the mechanic — he really **knows his onions**.”
* **sugarcoat something**: To make an unpleasant fact or situation seem better or more pleasant than it really is. — “Please don't **sugarcoat** it — just tell me the truth.”
* **meat and potatoes**: The most basic, important or essential part of something. — “Let's skip the intro and get to the **meat and potatoes** of the plan.”
* **a curate's egg**: Something that is partly good and partly bad. — “The report was **a curate's egg**, praised and quietly ignored.”
* **as flat as a pancake**: Completely flat, or completely lacking in energy. — “The tyre was **as flat as a pancake** by Tuesday morning.”
* **out of the frying pan into the fire**: From a bad situation into a worse one. — “He left one impossible job for another, **out of the frying pan into the fire**.”
* **salad days**: The time when you were young and inexperienced. — “He talks about his **salad days** in the same three anecdotes.”
* **cook the books**: To change financial records dishonestly. — “Somebody had been trying to **cook the books** for three years.”
* **eat out of someone's hand**: To do exactly what someone wants, willingly. — “Within a week the whole committee would **eat out of someone's hand**.”
* **grist to the mill**: Something useful that can be put to good use. — “Every complaint was **grist to the mill** for the inquiry.”
* **pie in the sky**: A hope or plan that is very unlikely to happen. — “The second bridge was **pie in the sky** and everyone knew it.”
* **the upper crust**: The highest social class. — “The club was **the upper crust** and made sure you knew it.”
* **a hard nut**: A person or problem that is very difficult to deal with. — “That committee is **a hard nut** and always has been.”

## Related

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