Take a peek at these idioms and expressions with bread and pastry. They all come with picture to help you understand better.
bread idioms
No matter which country you’re from, you’re bound to have bread in your diet. Bread is a cheap staple food made from flour, water, and yeast (to make it rise). It’s then baked in the oven.
FUN FACT – ‘ Brown bread’ is a slang term meaning dead. It’s a special type of slang that is specifically for London – it’s called Cockney rhyming slang.
as warm as toast
meaning – comfortably warm and cosy
example – The dog will be as warm as toast in his new bed.
bread and butter
meaning – work that provides the main income
example – Our bread and butter is a big wad of inheritance left to me by my great aunt.
breadwinner
meaning – a person who earns the majority of the money to support the family
example – I decided to be the breadwinner. My husband only works a few hours a week.
bun in the oven
meaning – be pregnant I’m sure
example – Tilly has a bun in the oven, look at the shape of her stomach.
dough
meaning – a slang term for money
example – I’m in desperate need of some dough! I was made redundant las month.
know which side one’s bread is buttered
meaning – someone knows what to do/say to get an advantage
example – Danny knows which side of his bread is buttered; he’ll get the promotion.
loaf around
meaning – do nothing, be lazy, waste time
example – I’ve loafed around all weekend; I think I’ll go for a stroll and get some fresh air.
on the breadline
meaning – very poor, live in poverty
example – Many families are on the breadline due to the rising cost of living.
the best thing since sliced bread
meaning – a great idea/invention/plan
example – A GPS is the best thing since sliced bread. I never get lost.
pie expressions
Who doesn’t love a pie? A pie (pronounced p-i-yuh) is a sweet or savoury filling that is encased in delicious pasty and baked in the oven. Popular British fillings include: minced beef and onion, steak and kidney, chicken and mushroom and for dessert – apple.
as easy as pie
meaning – very easy, simple
example – The exam was as easy as pie, I’ve definitely passed.
as nice as pie
meaning – extremely pleasant/polite
example – Our new neighbours are as nice as pie, we’ll enjoy living next to them.
eat humble pie
meaning – admit you are wrong after being humiliated
example – If the CCTV proves Ethan is innocent, we’ll have to eat humble pie.
have one’s fingers in lots of pies
meaning – be involved in many different things
example – She does yoga, Pilates, running and karate. That woman has her fingers in lots of pies.
pie in the sky
meaning – a good but unrealistic idea
example – The chairman thinks we can raise the money. I think it’s pie in the sky.
pie in the sky
meaning – a good but unrealistic idea
example – The chairman thinks we can raise the money. I think it’s pie in the sky.
slice of the pie
meaning – a portion of the profits
example – Our boss is great. We all get a slice of the pie, five extra days holiday.
sandwich phrases
A sandwich is a classic food us Brits eat for lunch. It consists of a delicious filling which includes meat, cheese and salad vegetables sandwiched between 2 pieces of bread. Yes, that’s right, I said ‘sandwiched’. It’s also a regular verb which means to insert or squeeze people or objects between other people or objects. For example
- I didn’t enjoy the concert, I was sandwiched between 2 6-foot men,
FUN FACT – The ‘d’ in sandwich can be pronounced or silent, in reality, most people pronounce it like ‘sam-wich’.
a knuckle sandwich
meaning – punch someone
example – I was in the club and a bloke came over and gave me a knuckle sandwich for no reason.
a sandwich short of a picnic
meaning – a stupid/mad/not very intelligent person
example – I caught my neighbour hoovering her lawn. She’s definitely a sandwich short of a picnic.
If you’ve enjoyed learning some bread and pastry idioms and sayings, why not learn some more food idioms.
