Do you know what a condiment is? If not, I’ll tell you. A condiment is a powder or liquid that we add to food (after its cooked) to enhance the flavour of the food.
Look below to learn some condiments and sauce idioms with picture examples.
mustard idioms
Mustard is a spicy yellow sauce made from crushed seeds. It can be used to flavour food or as a sauce on say a hot dog.
as keen as mustard
meaning – very keen, eager, enthusiastic
example – The new recruit is as keen as mustard. He’s going to be a great asset to the business.
cut the mustard
meaning – meet expectations/the required standard
example – I went to the new Chinese restaurant for supper, but it didn’t cut the mustard.
salt expressions
Salt is a white crystally substance that we use to season our food. It’s also used to cure/preserve food.
FUN FACT – On a dinner table, you’ll often find the seasoning pepper along with salt, they come as a pair. When referring to them, we always say ‘salt and pepper’ not ‘pepper and salt’. We call these irreversible binominals.
Irreversible binomials are two words which are usually joined by the words `and` or `or`. These form a phrase with a fixed order that cannot be changed. You can learn more about them here.
rub salt in the wound
meaning – make a bad situation even worse
example – We lost 4-0 and to rub salt in the wound, our star striker broke his leg.
salt of the earth
meaning – a good honest person
example – I’m sorry for your loss, your father was the salt of the earth.
take with a pinch of salt
meaning – something may not be completely accurate
example – Penny exaggerates, take what she says with a pinch of salt.
