Using these 8 funny idioms about food will make you a big cheese. You will find the examples and explanations of idioms under the infographic.
使用这8个关于食物的有趣习语会使你成为一个大人物。您将在信息图表下找到习语的示例和解释。

1. Egghead
1.书呆子

a very studious person, intellectually gifted in the field of academics, a very intelligent person
十分用功，在某学术领域有天赋之人

I think Jane will do well in her finals. She has always been a kind of egghead from elementary school all the way through college.
我相信，简在总决赛一定会有出色的表现。从小学到大学，她一直都很努力。

Son: Mum, one of the kids in school called me an egghead today.
儿子：妈妈，学校里的一个孩子叫我书呆子。

Mum: Why did they call you that?
妈妈：为什么他们那么叫你？

Son: I think it’s because the other kids think I am really smart. They said that I’m always reading books and that I always have the right answer to the teacher’s questions.
儿子：我想是因为其他孩子觉得我很聪明。他们说我总是看书，对老师的问题我总是有正确的答案。

Mum: Well, you are very intelligent. Next time somebody calls you an egghead just reply back to them saying, “I know” and walk away with your head held high.
妈妈：嗯，你很聪明。下次有人叫你书呆子的时候，你只要回答他们说，“我知道”，然后昂首挺胸走开。

2. Big cheese
2.大人物

an important and influential person
十分关键有影响力的人

Do you know Peter? He’s a big cheese at the company, he may help you to get a good job there.
你认识皮特么？他是公司里举足轻重的人物，也许能帮你在这谋得一份工作。

Mary: I had a terrible day at work today.
玛丽：我今天工作糟透了。

Alice: Why?
爱丽丝：为什么？

Mary: Ever since Tom got his promotion he thinks he is the big cheese of the company. All he does is order us around all day.
玛丽：自从汤姆升职后，他就认为他是公司的大人物。他所做的就是命令我们整天呆在这里。

Alice: Can you talk to him about it?
爱丽丝：你能和他谈谈吗？

Mary: I don’t think so, he is too influential now. He could fire me if I do something he doesn’t like.
玛丽：我不这么认为，他现在太有影响力了。如果我做了他不喜欢的事，他可以解雇我。

3. Couch potato
3.懒人

a very lazy person who watches too much TV
一个爱看电视的懒人

My uncle is a couch potato, you never see him without the remote control in his hand.
我的叔叔极为懒惰，遥控器整日不离手。

Jenny: Where is Andrew? He said he would join us for lunch today.
珍妮：安德鲁在哪里？他说他今天要和我们一起吃午饭。

Mary: I went to pick him up earlier and he was in his pyjamas watching Star Wars. I found him in the same spot yesterday when I went to hang out with him. I don’t think he has moved from that couch all weekend.
玛丽：我早点去接他，他穿着睡衣看《星球大战》。我昨天去的时候发现他在同一个地方

Jenny: He is so lazy, it is unbelievable! He’s a couch potato, he needs to go outside and enjoy life.
珍妮：他太懒了，真是难以置信！他是个懒人，他需要出去享受生活。

Mary: You’re right, he’s spending too much time on that couch watching television.
玛丽：你说得对，他在沙发上看电视的时间太多了。

4. Tough cookie
4.坚定的人

a very determined person, durable and robust person, a person who is difficult to deal with
一个非常坚定，固执的，难以相处的人

There is a tough cookie on the phone, he insists to talk to the manager, shall I put him through?
电话那边的人坚持要跟经理讲话，我能这么做吗？

Mother 1: How is Sarah?
妈妈1：莎拉怎么样？

Mother 2: Sarah is great but she is very busy. She is a full-time student and working 30 hours a week to pay off her student loans. I don’t know how she has time for it all.
母亲2：萨拉很好，但她很忙。她是个全日制学生，每周工作30个小时来偿还她的学生贷款。我不知道她怎么有时间来做这些事。

Mother 1: Wow! She really is a tough cookie! She has a plan and she’s working as hard as she can to reach her goal.
妈妈1：哇！她真是个坚强的人！一旦她有一个计划，她正在尽最大努力达到她的目标。

Mother 2: Yes, she is. We are very proud of her.
母亲2：是的，她是。我们为她感到骄傲。

5. Top banana
5.大老板

leader, boss, the chief person in a group, the head of a project
领导、老板、小组里的核心人物、项目的关键人物

I don’t know when we’ll finish, ask Jack, he’s the top banana here.
我不知道什么时候完成，问问杰克吧，他是这里的负责人。

John: Our team is in disarray.
约翰：我们队混乱不堪。

Jeremy: What do you mean?
杰里米：你什么意思？

John: We have no order, no aims and no direction. We need a leader, a top banana that can motivate the team and drive us to the finish line.
约翰：我们没有秩序，没有目标，没有方向。我们需要一个领导者，一个能激励团队并把我们带到终点线的顶级人物。

Jeremy: You’re right. I think you should be the leader. You’re organised, ambitious, a team player and intelligent. I know the rest of the team will agree. What do you think?
杰里米：你说得对。我认为你应该是领导。你有组织，雄心勃勃，有团队精神，聪明。我知道其他人会同意的。你怎么认为？

John: I would be honoured to be the top banana of this team!
约翰：我很荣幸能成为这个队的领队人！

6. Bad apple
6.坏家伙

troublemaker, criminal
惹麻烦的人，罪犯

He’s a real bad apple. If I were you, I wouldn’t let my daughter go out with him.
他不是什么好人。我要是你，绝不会让女儿跟这种人谈恋爱。

George: Where is Kevin nowadays?
乔治：凯文在哪里呢？

Paul: He’s doing time in prison. He was arrested last year.
保罗：他在监狱里工作。他去年被捕了。

George: I’m not surprised.
乔治：我一点也不惊讶。

Paul: Why?
乔治：为什么？

George: He was always the bad apple of the family. They were never able to discipline him whereas his sister was always so good.
乔治：他一直是家里的坏家伙。他们没法管教他，而他的妹妹总是那么好。

Paul: You’re right. I remember in school he was always getting in trouble for fighting and poor attendance but his sister was so friendly and well mannered. She was completely different to Kevin. He really is the bad apple of that family, his poor parents.
保罗：你说得对。我记得在学校里，他总是因为打架和出勤率低而惹上麻烦，但他的妹妹很友好，很有礼貌。她和凯文完全不同。他真是那个家庭的坏孩子，他可怜的父母。

7. Sour grapes
7.酸葡萄

pretending to dislike something that you can’t have
吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸

The losers say they don’t mind that they couldn’t win the cup, but I’m sure this is only sour grapes.
虽然失败者总说自己不介意与奖杯失之交臂，但是我确定他们只是吃不到葡萄说葡萄酸。

Anna: Did you hear that Kim lost her job?
安娜：你听说金失业了吗？

Melissa: Really? I saw her yesterday and she didn’t say anything.
梅丽莎：真的吗？我昨天见到她，她什么也没说。

Anna: She’s pretending that doesn’t care that she was fired but it’s just a bunch of sour grapes.
安娜：她假装不在乎她被炒了，但那只是一堆风凉话。

Melissa: She loved that job of course she cares.
梅利莎：她喜欢那份工作，当然她在乎。

Anna: I know but she wants everyone to think she is happy and didn’t like her job anyway.
安娜：我知道，但她想让每个人都觉得她很开心，反正也不喜欢她的工作。

8. Lemon law
8.伪劣商品赔偿法

an American law that protects those who buy defective cars or other consumer goods
用来保护那些购买到有缺陷的汽车或其他残次消费品的美国法律

Unfortunately, his new car had an engine defect, but he received a complete refund in accordance with the lemon law.
真不幸，他的新汽车引擎有缺陷，但是根据伪劣商品赔偿法，他将收到全额退款。

Corinne: I can’t believe it! The sound on my new television isn’t working.
科林：我真不敢相信！我新电视机上的声音坏了。

Eli:  How did you break your new television already? You have only had it for three days.
伊莱：你的新电视怎么坏的？你买来才三天。

Corinne: I think it was sold to me like this, I couldn’t have broken it already.
科林：我想它是这样卖给我的，我不可能已经把它弄坏了。

Eli: If they sold you a faulty television set, you can get your money back.
伊莱：如果他们卖给你一台有毛病的电视机，你可以拿回你的钱。

Corinne: How can I get my money back?
科林：我怎样才能拿回我的钱？

Eli: In accordance to the lemon law you must be given a complete refund if you were sold a faulty product.
伊莱：根据伪劣商品赔偿法，如果你出售的产品有问题，你必须全额退款。

Corinne: That’s brilliant, I’ll contact my lawyer now.
科林：太好了，我现在就联系我的律师。

9. A bun in the oven
9.胎儿

this expression is used when somebody is pregnant.
用来描述某人怀孕。 

I have a bun the oven, the baby is due in 7 months.
我怀孕了，胎儿预计七月出生。

They’ve got a bun in the oven! This will be their first baby.
他们有孩子了！这将是他们的第一个孩子。

Zoe: I went to the doctor today.
佐伊：我今天去看医生了。

Mia: Why did you go to the doctor?
米娅：你为什么去看医生？

Zoe: I thought I had a virus as I haven’t been feeling very well. But the doctor said it wasn’t a virus.
佐伊：我以为我感染了病毒，因为我感觉不太好。但医生说这不是病毒。

Mia: So what is wrong with you?
米娅：那你怎么了？

Zoe: I’m pregnant!
佐伊：我怀孕了！

Mia: Congratulations! You’ve got a bun in the oven! That’s fantastic news!
米娅：恭喜你！你有孩子啦！真是个好消息！

10. Bring home the bacon
10.养家糊口

this idiom describes a person who earns a living or provides financial support to the home.
“养家糊口”这个成语形容的是一个人靠谋生或为家庭提供经济支持。

I work hard so I can support my family, I bring home the bacon.
我努力工作以养家糊口，我是家庭经济支柱。

You need to find a good job and bring home the bacon.
你应该找份工作，养家糊口。

Lucas: I want to quit my job, but I can’t.
卢卡斯：我想辞职，但我不能。

Noah: Why can’t you quit your job?
诺亚：你为什么不能辞职？

Lucas: I need that job to support my family, they are relying on my income.
卢卡斯：我需要那份工作来养家糊口，他们靠的是我的收入。

Noah: You bring home the bacon, that must be a lot of pressure.
诺亚：你养家糊口，那肯定有很大的压力。

Lucas: It is. I would love to quit my job right now, but I know I should find a new job first.
卢卡斯：是的。我很想现在就辞职，但我知道我应该先找一份新工作。

11. Cheesy
11.庸俗的

describes something that is tacky, silly, inauthentic or cheap.
描述一些俗气、愚蠢、不真实或廉价的东西。

The novel received terrible reviews and was even said to be cheesy as many critics thought it was too predictable.
这部小说受到了糟糕的评论，甚至被认为是庸俗的，因为许多评论家认为它太可预测了。

That cliche was so cheesy and expected.
那陈词滥调太俗气了，令人期待。

Jack: How was the new movie?
杰克：新电影怎么样？

Luke: It was OK, I thought it could have been better though.
卢克：没关系，不过我想可能会更好。

Jack: What do you mean?
杰克：你什么意思？

Luke: I just thought it was really predictable and cheesy. I knew what the characters were going to say before they said it and it just seemed very forced and fake.
卢克：我只是觉得这很容易预测，而且很俗气。我知道角色在说之前会说些什么，而且看起来非常强迫和虚假。

Jack: That is disappointing.
杰克：真令人失望。

Luke: It is, the movie was full of cliches and the storyline was so obvious and has been done before so many times.
卢克：是的，这部电影充满了陈词滥调，故事情节也很明显，而且之前已经拍过很多次了。

Jack: I won’t be going to watch that movie then.
杰克：那我就不去看那部电影了。

Luke: I wouldn’t recommend it.
卢克：我不推荐。

12. Full of beans
12.兴高采烈，精力充沛

this describes somebody that is excited about something or very energetic and lively.
这描述的是一个对某件事感到兴奋或精力充沛而活泼的人。

The kids were full of beans after the birthday party.
生日晚会结束后，孩子们都吃饱了。

The supporters were full of beans at the match, they chanted, sang and even danced when their team scored the winning goal.
球迷们在比赛中都是精力充沛，当他们的球队攻入制胜球时，他们高呼口号、唱歌甚至跳舞。

Maggie: How is Kevin?
玛吉：凯文怎么样？

Peter: Kevin is great, he is about to start college and is excited to live on campus.
彼得：凯文很好，他即将开始上大学，很高兴能住在校园里。

Maggie: I didn’t know he was moving away, is he nervous about living alone?
玛吉：我不知道他要搬走了，他对独自生活感到紧张吗？

Peter: Not at all! He is full of beans, he can’t wait to have his own apartment and do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. His parents are very strict so he is looking forward to the freedom.
彼得：一点也不！他精力充沛，他迫不及待地想拥有自己的公寓，想做什么就做什么。他的父母很严厉，所以他很期待自由。

Maggie: I hope it all works out for him! – I’m sure it will, he’s a very bright, young man.
麦琪：我希望这一切对他都能奏效！–我相信会的，他是个非常聪明的年轻人。

13. A Piece of cake
13.小菜一碟

this describes something that is really easy to do or takes very little effort.
这描述了一些真正容易做或只需很少努力的事情。

The exam was a piece of cake. I knew all the answers, I was finished within half an hour.
这次考试是小菜一碟。我知道所有的答案，我在半小时内就完成了。

Let’s cook this chicken dish for dinner. The recipe is so easy it will be a piece of cake and it will taste delicious!
我们把这道鸡肉菜做晚饭吧。菜谱很简单，就是一块蛋糕，味道很好！

Mary: Would you mind helping me pack and move my stuff to the new apartment?
玛丽：你介意帮我收拾行李，把东西搬到新公寓吗？

John: Of course not!
约翰：当然不！

Mary: Are you sure? I have a lot of big furniture and delicate crockery.
玛丽：你确定吗？我有很多大家具和精致的陶器。

John: I’m positive, it will be a piece of cake if the two of us do it together. We’ll have everything packed and moved by the end of the week.
约翰：我是肯定的，如果我们两个一起做，那将是小菜一碟。我们将在本周末前把所有东西打包并搬走。

Mary: Thank you so much, you are a lifesaver!
玛丽：非常感谢你，你是救命恩人！

John: Don’t mention it, I’m happy to help!
约翰：别客气，我很乐意帮忙！

14. Spill the beans
14.说漏嘴

this idiom is used when somebody tells a secret that they shouldn’t have.
这个成语是用来告诉别人不该有的秘密。

Spill the beans, how did you know the answer to the mathematics question?
说吧，你怎么知道数学问题的答案？

They spilled the beans last night to their family and friends. They are quitting their jobs and travelling around the world for a year. They kept it a secret for months.
昨晚他们把秘密泄露给家人和朋友。他们辞掉工作，周游世界一年。他们把它保密了几个月。

Ella: This brown bread is amazing!
埃拉：这个棕色面包太棒了！

Evelyn: Thank you, I made it.
伊芙琳：谢谢，我做到了。

Ella: Really? I’m very impressed, I would love to try bake it at home. Can I have the recipe?
埃拉：真的吗？我很感动，我很想在家里烤。我可以要一份食谱？

Evelyn: I’m sorry but it’s a family recipe, I’m not allowed to tell anyone outside of the family, the secret recipe.
伊芙琳：对不起，这是一个家庭食谱，我不允许告诉家庭以外的任何人这个秘密食谱。

Ella: You wouldn’t spill the beans to your closest friend, would you? I promise I’ll keep the recipe a secret.
埃拉：你不愿意把秘密透露给你最亲密的朋友？我保证我会保守配方的秘密。

Evelyn: I wish I could but I can’t, it’s a secret that’s been in the family for generations.
伊芙琳：我希望我能，但我不能，这是一个家族世世代代的秘密。

Ella: OK, I understand.
埃拉：好吧，我明白。

15. Take with a pinch of salt
15.将信将疑

this idiom is used when somebody is skeptical about something or someone.
这个成语是当某人对某事物或某人持怀疑态度时使用的。

Detectives have to be skeptical and suspicious when interviewing suspects. They have to take everything being said with a pinch of salt.
在采访嫌疑犯时，侦探必须持怀疑态度和怀疑态度。他们必须用一小撮盐来处理所说的一切。

The statistics in the report need to be interpreted with a pinch of salt as they don’t include all the factors.
报告中的统计数据需要怀疑，因为它们不包括所有的因素。

Natalie: Have you talked to Bruna recently?
娜塔莉：你最近和布鲁娜谈过吗？

Vivian: No, I haven’t, have you?
维维安：没有，我没有，是吗？

Natalie: Yeah, I was talking to her yesterday. She told me that she is going to book a one way ticket to Thailand and travel around Asia for six months.
娜塔莉：是的，我昨天和她说话了。她告诉我她要订一张去泰国的单程票，然后在亚洲旅行六个月。

Vivian: Wow, that sounds amazing!
维维安：哇，听起来太棒了！

Natalie: I don’t believe her though, I always take what she says with a pinch of salt.
娜塔莉：但我不相信她，我总是对她说的话半信半疑。

Vivian: Why?
维维安：为什么？

Natalie: I think she exaggerates a lot, I’ve even caught her lying before.
娜塔莉：我觉得她夸大了很多，我以前甚至发现她在说谎。

Vivian: I know what you mean, I have had to question what she has said in the past, before.
维维安：我知道你的意思，我不得不质疑她以前说过什么。

16. Butter up
16.巴结讨好

this idiom is used when somebody flatters somebody else, usually because they want something from them.
“奉承”这个成语是用来指别人奉承别人，通常是因为他们想从别人那里得到什么。

The students wanted to go outside and play in the yard so they tried to butter up their teacher by saying what a great teacher she is and how much they appreciate her.
学生们想到外面的院子里玩，所以他们想讨好他们的老师，说她是一个多么伟大的老师，他们多么感激她。

The employer buttered up to the manager as he wanted to be promoted to the new position in work.
老板奉承经理，因为他想晋升到新的工作岗位。

Piper: My son tried to butter me up yesterday because he wants to go to the party tonight.
派珀：我儿子昨天想拍我马屁，因为他今晚想去参加聚会。

Nora: What did he do to butter you up?
诺拉：他做了什么来讨好你？

Piper: He started complimenting me and offered to cook dinner for the rest of the family. I told him he could cook dinner but that he still wasn’t going to the party.
派珀：他开始恭维我，并主动为家里其他人做晚餐。我告诉他可以做饭，但他还是不去参加聚会。

Nora: How do you know he wasn’t trying to do something nice for you?
诺拉：你怎么知道他不想为你做点好事？

Piper: I know because he hates cooking and he really wanted to go to this party tonight.
派珀：我知道，因为他讨厌做饭，他真的很想今晚去参加这个聚会。

Nora: Poor Andrew, why isn’t he allowed to go to the party?
诺拉：可怜的安德鲁，为什么不允许他去参加聚会？

Piper: He’s grounded because he missed his curfew last weekend.
派珀：他被禁足是因为他错过了上周末的宵禁。

Nora: I understand, at least you weren’t persuaded by his flattery.
诺拉：我明白，至少你没有被他的奉承所说服。

Piper: He should know better than to try to butter me up!
派珀：他应该知道，不要试图给我拍马屁！