by Miranda Gonzalez
It’s the holiday season, and that means one thing: food, and lots of it. There’s a reason that so many people complain about putting on weight around Christmas – there’s just so much to eat at parties and family gatherings. In honor of all those delicious meals and snacks, let’s learn about some idioms that have to do with holiday food. We don’t have to start worrying about diets until New Year’s!
A hard nut to crack – a person that is hard to understand or a problem that is difficult to solve
Unshelled nuts are common around Christmastime, which is why nutcrackers have become a part of the holiday. In this idiom, a nut refers to something or someone difficult rather than someone crazy.
Example: Jason is hard nut to crack. You can never tell if he is having good time or if he is miserable because his expression is always the same.
Nutty as a fruitcake – completely crazy
In English, we often use “he’s nuts” to say that someone is crazy, but if someone is nutty as a fruitcake, that takes it up a notch to totally insane.
Example: My Aunt Marge is nutty as fruitcake. She’s always talking to her plants!
Easy as pie OR a piece of cake – really easy
What would Christmas be without all of the desserts? Both pie and cake can refer to something that is really simple.
Example: Becky got 100% on her math exam. She said it was a piece of cake.
To cook someone’s goose – to ruin someone’s plans and cause them to fail
Goose may be the centerpiece of the traditional English Christmas dinner, but since this is an idiom, the goose represents something else entirely.
Example: Sam was up for a promotion, but his co-worker Gary cooked his goose when he told the boss that Sam falsified his time sheets.
The cherry on top – the last good thing added to something that was already good
When we make a fancy dessert, like at Christmas, we often add whipped cream and a cherry on top as the final finishing touch. When something turns from good to great, it’s the cherry on top. This idiom has the same meaning as “the icing on the cake.”
Example: When they offered Chris a great-paying job right out of college, he was really happy. But when they also told him he would be getting a signing bonus, that was the cherry on top.
Learn the languages of these songs!
Livemocha offers 35 languages, free online learning, and connects you to native speakers who are here to help you! Log in or sign up today!