5 food and taste idioms

Meat and Potatoes

The most basic and important part of something is the meat and potatoes.

The meat and potatoes of this newspaper is the business news.

Volunteer work is the meat and potatoes of the programme.

Meat and Drink

When you find a task, that others find difficult, easy and pleasant, it is meat and drink to you.

Most people dislike making speeches in front of audiences but it's meat and drink to me.

Fishy

When something seems suspicious, dishonest or false, it is fishy.

I'm not sure I believe him. His explanation sounded fishy to me.

Bread and Butter

Your bread and butter is your job - the activity that provides you with the money you need to live.

Painting houses is my bread and butter.

Bittersweet

When something tastes bittersweet, it's both bitter and sweet at the same time. Some chocolates taste bittersweet.

Bittersweet is also used to describe a situation that is enjoyable and painful; a mix of sadness and happiness.

My last day of university was bittersweet. I was happy to be graduating but sad because I knew I would never see some of my classmates again.

Now choose the correct idiom in these sentences:

• 1) Saying goodbye to my workmates on my last day in the office was ___.
  
  meat and drink
  bittersweet
  bread and butter
  
  
• 2) Working as a waiter was my ___ when i was at college.
  
  fishy
  meat and drink
  bread and butter
  
  
• 3) Many people find writing reports hard but it's ____ to me.
  
  meat and potatoes
  meat and drink
  bittersweet
  
  
• 4) We produce many electrical products but the ___ of what we do is making televisions.
  
  bittersweet
  meat and potatoes
  fishy
  
  
• 5) Her excuse seemed a little ___ to me.
  
  fishy
  bread and butter
  meat and potatoes