Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta FOOD IDIOMS. Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta FOOD IDIOMS. Mostrar todas las entradas
domingo, 2 de noviembre de 2014
PRESENTATION ABOUT FOOD IDIOMS
Hello guys! As we said in our presentation, this blog is about idioms, and the topic of this week will be……FOOD!
First of all, I’m going to explain what an Idiom is. An idiom is a word or phrase which means something different from its literal meaning. Idioms are common phrases or terms whose meaning are not real, but can be understood by their popular use.
Furthermore, I’m going to show you three examples of idioms related to food.
(Have a) bun in the oven
This phrase is an English idiom
referring to a woman who is pregnant. For example: Peter was surprised when
Mary told him that she has a bun in the oven.
The origin
is unclear, but it has become a common saying in many countries that use
English as official language. It appears to have been in use since the early or
mid-20th century. There are literary references that go back as early as the
1950s. This phrase began to appear in films, television programs and other
culture mediums a bit later.
Spill the
beans
This idiom means to give away a secret or a surprise. As we see in this example: She didn't realize and she spilled the beans about the party.
Its origin
is said to be related to a voting system in ancient Greece. 'Spill' has been used as a verb which means 'let out' since at least the
16th century. That 'let
out' meaning was probably influenced by an earlier meaning of 'spill', that is,
'kill' and the usage of it in 'spill blood', which was in common use by the
14th century. But the earliest
uses of 'spill the beans' come from the USA. The meaning of the idiom was
then something like 'spoil the beans' or 'upset the applecart', which harks
back to the supposed Greek knocking over of a bean container.
The big cheese
The meaning of this idiom is an important or powerful person in a group or organization. For example: Her mother is the big cheese of that chain of supermarkets.
In earlier
times the cheese didn't have to be big - 'the cheese' alone was a synonym for
quality. Early in the 20th century the cheese crossed the Atlantic to the USA, and there
it got big. The first reference there to 'big cheese' meaning wealth or fame
comes from’. 'Big
cheese' in the 'important person' sense comes a little late. The first
reference found is from The Olean Evening Times, June 1922.
APPLE OF ONE'S EYE
This idiom means a person to whom one is extremely found and proud, for instance ``Baby's Jessica is the apple of her father's eye.´´
Originally, it comes from the old high German. The "apple" here doesn't refer to the fruit, but the "pupil" in one's eye. People felt that the shape of the pupil was similar to that of an apple's. In fact, for quite some time the word "aeppel" was used to refer to both the eye and the fruit. The pupil is a priceless possession because without it we will be deprived of our vision; we will not be able to see. And vision is something that all human beings value. That's why the expression, "the apple of one's eye" came to mean something that is greatly valued or treasured.
ONE SMART COOKIE
It’s someone who is clever and good at dealing with difficult situations, for instance ``Your daughter is one smart cookie. She reads much higher than her grade level.´´
Originally a reference to "cookie" is from 1700s and refers to little cakes. It is possible that "cookie" referred to women and smart cookie referred to their being smart and intelligent even though they looked petite and seemed "softer" than the men.
USE YOUR NOODLE
This idiom means to use the brain. Think about something. For example, ``You' re going to have to really use your noodle on this crossword puzzle. It's an extra difficult one.´´
Use your noodle was originally used as an insult. Noodle being a slang word for "head", or more precisely "brain" .In more recent times, however, the term "noodle" has lost it's original crassness, and even the phrase "Use your noodle" can be used to simply mean "think about it"
CUP OF JOE
MEANING
Nickname
for “cup of coffee”.
ORIGIN
There
are two theories about the origin:
- On June 1914 Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the American Navy, banned all US Navy ships from serving alcoholic beverages. The sailors, disappointed by his captain’s order, decided to drink coffee instead of alcohol. Since Josephus Daniels was the one responsible for banning alcohol, the sailors nicknamed the drink after him, thus it became “a cup of Joe”, Joe being short for Josephus.
- The second postulates that since “Joe” is argot for a “fellow, guy, chap”, that a “cup of joe” thus means the common man’s drink. The lexicon of English is replete with instances of “Joe” being used to denote a typical guy who is wholly interchangeable with any other guy in the same line of work or area of special interest: “Holy Joe”, “Joe Public”, “Joe Bloggs”, “Joe College”, “Joe Soap”, etc.
EXAMPLES
o Let’s
stop for a cup of joe before we head to work
o
He
has been working so hard during the afternoon that he deserves a cup of joe.
SPICE THINGS UP
MEANING
to
make something more exciting.
ORIGIN
It
comes from the phrasal verb “spice up”, used in cooking context meaning to add
species to the preparing of a meal in order not to be tasteless. In this case,
we can notice how tasteful and spicy are identified with interesting stuff.
EXAMPLES
o
I
wanted to spice things up in my living room, so I bought some blue and green
paint.
o Sam’s
wedding speech was really boring. He should have spiced it up with some jokes!
HOT POTATO
MEANING
a
controversial or difficult subject.
ORIGIN
The expression
stands for the fact that when potatoes were baked in the past , those who cook
it can’t handle them because of its high temperature, so then they dropped it
or threw it. This also happens with controversial or taboos issues, which
people avoid commenting on or just cut off the conversation.
EXAMPLES
o
The
idea of building a new block of apartment in the natural park is a hot potato
among the people of the village.
o Last
winter’s reform of ruinous credit interests was a hot potato that only he dared
to touch.
FOOD IDIOMS
A BAD EGG:
This idiomatic
expression has different meanings: It’s related to a person who is often in
trouble, or somebody you can’t trust because he/she is dishonest. In Spanish is
something like "manzana podrida" o "huevo podrido".
ORIGIN:
This expression
makes reference to the disappointment felt when cracking an egg. When you have
an egg, you don’t know the quality of this until you break it, so, we can compare
it with people: you don’t know how a person is only with the outward
appearance. It’s only with a close friendship that we can to know the true
character and personality of one person. This expression was used in common
usage before its first appearance written in Milwaukee Daily American,
September 1856. The next sentences belong some examples about its uses: a)
“…There are also on the list a number of notorious blacklegs whom Woods keeps
in pay. He is a bad egg.” (Milwaukee Daily American.) b) I don't want my little
brother hanging around with the bad eggs on the street.
TO BRING HOME THE BACON:
It means to earn the income. In Spanish it means
"ganarse el pan" o "hacerse con el triunfo".
ORIGIN:
It appears for first time in a small
town of Essex in 1100s. According to this legend, the Church of this
town would award a side of bacon to any man who could honestly said that
he hadn’t argued with his wife for a year and a day. They were
considered as a role model.
Others beliefs started in the 1500s at country fairs: one of this was
related to catch a greased pig and if you win, you got to “bring home
the bacon” because you kept the pig.
But since the 1600s, the word “bacon” has been used as a slang term for
one’s body, because people often associate the body with one’s ability
to work and earn money, so the word bacon took this connotation too.
Example: “My husband has had to bring home the bacon ever since I broke
my leg.”
TO HAVE YOUR CAKE AND IT TOO:
It means to have or do two good things at the same time that are impossible to have or do at the same time.
In Spanish it is "no se puede tener todo lo que se quiere"
Examples: You can't have your cake and eat it - if you want more local services, you can't expect to pay less tax.
ORIGIN:
The phrase was actually used as early as
1538 in a letter from Thomas Howard, the third Duke of Norfolk, to
Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to King Henry VIII.
The idiom was later published in A Dialogue Conteynyng Prouerbes and
Epigrammes by John Heywood in 1562. Centuries later this expression is
common in books, plays and other writings.
Between the19th and 20th centuries, the idiom would read in some
variation of “You can’t EAT your cake and HAVE it too,” but in the end,
the basic sentiment is the same.
HOT POTATOES
FOOD IDIOMS. HOT POTATOES
Attach each idiom with its meaning by
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