Seven “Tasty” English Idioms

English has plenty of idioms connected with food. You can learn some of the most widespread ones here.

1 A piece of cake

A piece of cake is something easily achieved.

 I went windsurfing last Saturday. I thought it was going to be a piece of cake but I soon realised that it was quite difficult.

I never said that training him would be a piece of cake.

2 Have a finger in every pie

When we say about someone that he “has a finger in every pie”, we mean that he is involved in a large and varied number of activities or enterprises.

You can’t make a decision on any kind of funding without consulting him – he has a finger in every pie.

For information about the activities in this town, you should talk to John Brown.  He‘s got a finger in every pie.

3. Sell like hot cakes

English idiom “to sell like hot cakes” means to be sold quickly and in large quantities.

T-shirts and posters are selling like hot cakes.

Those fancy new cars were selling like hot cakes.

4. Bread and butter

Bread and butter means a person’s livelihood or main source of income.

Teaching at the local college is his bread and butter.

I write novels, but sports journalism is my bread and butter.

5. A big cheese

A big cheese means an important person.

He was a really big cheese in the business world.

Apparently her father is a big cheese in one of the major banks.

6. The icing on the cake

The icing on the cake means an attractive but inessential addition or enhancement.

I love my new job – the people, the responsibilities, the salary. The fact that they’ve given me a great car is just the icing on the cake.

He was delighted to have his story published – getting paid for it was just icing on the cake.

7. Not one’s cup of tea

When we say that something is not my cup of tea, we mean that we don’t like it or aren’t interested in it.

Most of my colleagues go for a drink after work on Fridays, but going to pub is not my cup of tea. 

Jazz really isn’t my cup of tea, I prefer hard rock music.

You can master thousands of idioms if you use the textbooks: Idioms Organizer. Organised by Metaphor, Topic, and Key Word by Jon Wright and English Idioms in Use by Michael McCarthy and Felicity O’Dell.