Food Idioms - Advanced
Listening Challenge
Watch the video lesson. Which idioms do you hear?
Too many cooks spoil the broth
A: How is the new marketing campaign coming along?
B: Not good. We have all these ideas but no one agrees on anything.
A: Sounds like you have too many people adding input.
B: Definitely! As they say, too many cooks spoil the broth.
A: Indeed.
Spill the beans
A: Hey, so I hear you are transferring to New York.
B: What? What are you are talking about?
A: The boss told me he was transferring you.
B: No one told me that.
A: Oh no! Did I just spill the beans?
B: Ah, yeah. It appears you may have.
A: Well, you better talk to the boss … but you didn’t hear it from me.
B: Don’t worry. I’ll cover you.
Hand in the cookie jar
A: Did you hear what happened to Jack?
B: No, what?
A: He was fired yesterday.
B: Really, why?
A: He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
B: Really, how?
A: He was using his travel budget for personal expenses.
B: Oh, no! He seemed like such an honest guy.
A: Well, looks can be deceiving I guess.
Get egg on your face
A: How was your presentation?
B: Not good. I made a total fool of myself.
A: Oh, I am sure it was not that bad.
B: No, it was terrible. During the presentation I used the wrong slide deck.
A: Oh,, no!
B: It was the slide deck for another client - their main competitor.
A: How embarrassing!
B: Yeah, I totally got egg of my face.
Take with a grain of salt
A: So, how are the survey results looking?
B: Pretty good. 80% of those polled said they like our new product.
A: Well, I would take those results with a grain of salt.
B: Why do you say that?
A: Because only loyal customers took the survey.
B: Oh, I see. Still, it’s a good start.
A: True, just a little misleading.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Broth is the liquid flavor of soup. This phrase means that when too many people contribute to something, it decreases in quality.
Spill the beans
To accidentally reveal something that was secret.
Get caught with your hand in the cookie jar
To get caught doing something wrong, usually stealing. It refers to kids getting caught trying to get cookies.
Get egg on your face
Do something that is embarrassing or shameful in public. It refers to people throwing eggs in disgust at officials or performers.
Take with a grain of salt
To believe something is only partially true.
Check out the lesson for other levels:
Beginner Lesson on Food Idioms
Intermediate Lesson on Food Idioms
Course Outline (Previous Lessons)
Lesson 1 - Homophones - words that sound the same
Lesson 2 - Homographs - words with different meanings
Course Outline (Upcoming Lessons)
Lesson 4 - Reductions & Linking
Lesson 5 - Clauses
Lesson 6 - Phrases and Multi-word Expressions
Lesson 7 - Phrasal Verbs
Lesson 8 - Similar Sounds and Words
Lesson 9 - Word Forms
Lesson 10 - Prefixes and Suffixes