SECTION 2  FOOD IDIOMS

1. Study These Idioms and their Meanings. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

apple of one`s eye - someone or something that one likes a lot

back to the salt mines - back to work, humorous expression to express going

back to unpleasant work

bad egg - a bad person, bum

big cheese - an important person, a leader

bread and butter - basic needs of life (food,shelter,clothing)

bring home the bacon - earn your family`s living

butter up - flatter someone to try to get their favor or friendship

carrot and stick - promising to reward or punish someone at the same time

chew the fat - chat

coffee break - a break from work to rest and drink coffee

 

1.1 Translate the sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the use of the idioms.

1. We usually take a 15-minute coffee break every morning about 10 o`clock. 2. We stayed up very late last night chewing the fat about our university days. 3. The government took a carrot and stick approach to the people who were illegally protesting against the construction of the dam. 4. He spends most of his free time trying to butter up his boss so that he won`t have to work so hard. 5. Recently he has been working very hard trying to bring home the bacon. He has no time to do anything else. 6. The voters are worried about bread and butter issues like jobs and taxes. 7. The little girl is the apple of her grandfather`s eye. 8. He is a big cheese in his company so you should be very nice to him. 9. That man is a bad egg so you should try and avoid him if you can. 10. Well, lunch is over so let`s go back to the salt mines for the afternoon.

 

1.2 Group work:

a) Student A makes up sentences with the idioms from (1); Student B translates them into Ukrainian;

b) Student C makes up sentences in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (1); Student D translates them into English;

c) Student E makes up a situation with the idioms from (1); Student F translates it into Ukrainian;

a)      Student G makes up a situation in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (1); Student H translates them into English.

 

2. Study These Idioms and their Meanings. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

cool as a cucumber - calm, not nervous or anxious

cream of the crop - best of a group, the top choice

cry over spilt milk - cry or complain about something that has already

happened

cup of tea - something one enjoys or does well

cut the mustard - succeed, do well enough what needs to be done

duck soup - a task that doesn`t require much effort

eat crow - admit one is mistaken or defeated, take back a mistaken statement

eat dirt - act humble, accept another`s insult or bad treatment

eat humble pie - be humbled, admit one`s error and apologize

eat one`s cake and have it too - use or spend something and still keep it

 

2.1 Translate the sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the use of the idioms.

1. He is always as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything. 2. He refuses to give up anything and always wants to eat his cake and have it too. 3. Our boss was forced to eat humble pie after everyone realized that he had made the wrong budget estimate for next year. 4. We made him eat dirt after he accused us of lying about the salary cut. 5. I was forced to eat crow and had to apologize for the mistake that I made about the restructuring of our company. 6. It was duck soup. I was able to finish everything early last night. 7. He wasn`t able to cut the mustard so he had to leave the army after only one year. 8. Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening and not go with you. 9. The company is well-known as a good place to work and is always able to hire the cream of the crop of university graduates. 10. Don`t cry over spilt milk. The past is past and you can`t do anything to change it.

 

2.2 Group work:

a) Student A makes up sentences with the idioms from (2); Student B translates them into Ukrainian;

b) Student C makes up sentences in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (2); Student D translates them into English;

c) Student E makes up a situation with the idioms from (2); Student F translates it into Ukrainian;

d) Student G makes up a situation in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (2); Student H translates them into English.

 

 

3. Study These Idioms and their Meanings. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

eat one`s words - take back something one has said, admit something is not

true

egg on - urge someone on

finger in the pie - participate in something that is happening

full of beans - feel energetic, in high spirits

gravy train - a job or work that pays more than it is worth

half-baked - not thought out or studied carefully

hand to someone on a silver platter - give a person something that has not

been earned

hard nut to crack - something or someone difficult to understand or do

(get or) have egg on one`s face - be embarassed

hit the sauce - drink alcohol - usually regularly

 

3.1 Translate the sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the use of the idioms.

1. I think that she has begun to hit the sauce since her husband lost his job. 2. He has egg on his face because everyone knows that he was sick at the party. 3. He is a very serious person and is a very hard nut to crack. 4. I told my boss that I would be leaving but later I had to eat my words and tell him that I wanted to stay. 5. Many people at the soccer game were egged on by the drunken fans. 6. He always tries to keep his finger in the pie so that he can control everything. 7. She is full of beans tonight and doesn`t want to stop talking. 8. For many years his job was a real gravy train but now the company has become very strict and will not pay overtime. 9. He has a half-baked idea about starting a new business but most of us think that it will fail. 10. His education was handed to him on a silver platter and now he is very spoiled and selfish.

 

3.2 Group work:

a) Student A makes up sentences with the idioms from (3); Student B translates them into Ukrainian;

b) Student C makes up sentences in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (3); Student D translates them into English;

c) Student E makes up a situation with the idioms from (3); Student F translates it into Ukrainian;

d) Student G makes up a situation in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (3); Student H translates them into English.

 

4. Study These Idioms and their Meanings. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

hot potato - a question or argument that is controversial and difficult to settle

in a nutshell - briefly, in a few words

in the soup - in serious trouble, in disorder

make one`s mouth water - look or smell very good, want to eat or drink very

much

nutty as a fruitcake - crazy

out of the frying pan and into the fire - go from something bad to something

worse

out to lunch - crazy, mad

piece of cake - a task that is easily accomplished

polish the apple - flatter someone

souped up - change something to make it faster or more powerful by changing

or adding something

 

4.1 Translate the sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the use of the idioms.

1. The new car that his neighbor bought is a souped up model of the one that he had last year. 2. Nobody likes her because she is always trying to polish the apple with her teacher. 3. It was a piece of cake. I had everything done before lunch this morning. 4. She quit the job because of some small problems but she has jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire because now her problems are much worse. 5. She is totally out to lunch and you should never believe what she tells you. 6. He is a very nice man but he acts strange sometimes and I often think that he is as nutty as a fruitcake. 7. The restaurant is supposed to be wonderful and every time that I see the menu it makes my mouth water. 8. She is really in the soup now. She told her boss that she was sick but he saw her downtown shopping. 9. The issue of building the nuclear power plant is a real hot potato for the local town council. 10. We went to the meeting and they told us in a nutshell what would be happening to everyone next year.

 

4.2 Group work:

a) Student A makes up sentences with the idioms from (4); Student B translates them into Ukrainian;

b) Student C makes up sentences in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (4); Student D translates them into English;

c) Student E makes up a situation with the idioms from (4); Student F translates it into Ukrainian;

d) Student G makes up a situation in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (4); Student H translates them into English.

 

5. Study These Idioms and their Meanings. Give their Ukrainian equivalents.

salt away - save money

sell like hotcakes - sell quickly or rapidly

spill the beans - tell a secret to someone who is not supposed to know about it

stew in one`s own juice - suffer from something that one has caused to happen

take with a grain of salt - accept or believe only part of something

upset the apple cart - ruin a plan or event by surprise or accident

worth one`s salt - being a good worker, worth what one is paid

 

5.1 Translate the sentences into Ukrainian paying attention to the use of the idioms.

1. He has only been working here for a month but over and over he has proved that he is woorth his salt. 2. Everything was going well at the company until he came along and upset the apple cart. 3. You should take everything that he says with a grain of salt as everyone knows that he likes to exaggerate things when he is speaking. 4. He is the one who caused the problem for himself and is now being forced to stew in his own juice. 5. Please don`t spill the beans about my plans to quit working and go back to school next year. 6. The new CD has only been released for about a week but already it is selling like hotcakes. 7. He has been working there for seven years and has been able to salt away quite a lot of money.

 

5.2 Group work:

a) Student A makes up sentences with the idioms from (5); Student B translates them into Ukrainian;

b) Student C makes up sentences in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (5); Student D translates them into English;

c) Student E makes up a situation with the idioms from (5); Student F translates it into Ukrainian;

d) Student G makes up a situation in Ukrainian using Ukrainian equivalents of the idioms from (5); Student H translates them into English.

 

Check your knowledge of Food idioms

Choose an idiom at the bottom to replace the expression in the brackets below. Translate the sentences into Ukrainian.