Faculty of Humanities and Social Science > English

Eight food idioms that are right under your nose

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Shampa Iftakhar:
Tea:

Though English is spoken all over the world, there are certain idioms that recall its, well, Englishness. Popularized in British Edwardian slang, cup of tea originally referred to something pleasant or agreeable. The negative usage as in not my cup of tea arose during World War II as a more polite way to say you didnt like something. "You dont say someone gives you a pain in the neck," explained Alister Cooke in his 1944 Letter from America. You just remark, he's not my cup of tea.'"

Shampa Iftakhar:
Cheese:

Perhaps the savoriest idiom on this list, the word cheese can refer to a person or thing that is important or splendid as well as to the delicious dairy product. The usage is thought to have origins in Urdu, from the Persian chiz meaning "thing." In common usage, "the big cheese" is a person of importance or authority, and cheese is often associated with smiling, based on the "say cheese" method of posing for pictures.

Shampa Iftakhar:
Eggshells:

Our final idiom is our most delicate: walking on eggshells or taking great care not to upset someone. It is thought to have originated in politics when diplomats were described as having the remarkable ability to tread so lightly around difficult situations, it was as though they were walking on eggshells. In a nutshell, we hope you go bananas for food idioms. Whether or not they're your cup of tea, these terms are easy as pie to use and they'll make you the big cheese of any conversation! So go ahead and spill the beans, it's just like apples and oranges.

irina:
Quite interesting.

shamshoque:
Any food inside human belly?

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