Food Idioms - Advanced

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.