Using these 15 funny idioms about food will make you a big cheese.
1. EGGHEAD = រៀនពូកែ វាងវៃ เรียนเก่ง ฉลาด
a very studious person intellectually gifted in the field of academics, a very intelligent person
• 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.
2. BIG CHEESE មនុស្សសំខាន់, คนสำคัญ
an important and influential person
• Do you know Peter? He’s a big cheese at the company, he may help you to get a good job there.
3. COUCH POTATO អ្នកដែលចូលចិត្តមើលទូរទស្សន៍ខ្លាំង, คนที่ติดทีวี
a very lazy person who watches too much TV
• My uncle is a couch potato, you never see him without the remote control in his hand.
4. TOUGH COOKIE មនុស្សដែលម៉ឺងម៉ាត់មានបញ្ហាច្រើន, คนที่เรื่องมาก
a very determined person, durable and robust person, a person who is difficult to deal with
• There is a tough cookie on the phone, he insists on talking to the manager, shall I put him through?
5. TOP BANANA មេដឹកនាំ, អ្នកដែលធំជាងគេក្នុងក្រុម, ผู้นำ หัวหน้า
leader, boss, the chief person in a group, the head of a project
• I don’t know when we’ll finish, ask Jack, he’s the top banana here.
6. BAD APPLE មេនាំរឿង, ตัวปัญหา
troublemaker, criminal
• He’s a real bad apple. If I were you, I wouldn’t let my daughter go out with him.
7. SOUR GRAPES ការធ្វើពុតជាមិនចូលចិត្តនូវអ្វីដែលខ្លួនគ្មានលទ្ធភាព, การทำท่าว่าตนไม่ชอบในสิ่งที่ตนคว้ามาไม่ได้
pretending to dislike something that you can’t have
• The losers say they don’t mind that they couldn’t win the cup, but I’m sure this is only sour grapes.
8. A BUN IN THE OVEN មានគភ៌, ท้อง
this expression is used when somebody is pregnant.
• I have a bun the oven, the baby is due in 7 months.
• They’ve got a bun in the oven! This will be their first baby.
9. BRING HOME THE BACON រកចំណូលដើម្បីគ្រួសារ, หาเงินเลี้ยงครอบครัว
this idiom describes a person who earns a living or provides financial support to the home.
• I work hard so I can support my family, I bring home the bacon.
• You need to find a good job and bring home the bacon.
10. CHEESY អត់បានការ អត់ប្រយោជន៍, ไร้ค่า ไร้สาระ
describes something that is tacky, silly, inauthentic or cheap.
• The novel received terrible reviews and was even said to be cheesy as many critics thought it was too predictable.
• That cliche was so cheesy and expected.
11. FULL OF BEANS រំភើបរីករាយ, ตื่นเต้นดีใจ
this describes somebody that is excited about something or very energetic and lively.
• The kids were full of beans after the birthday party.
• The supporters were full of beans at the match, they chanted, sang and even danced when their team scored the winning goal.
12. A PIECE OF CAKE ស្រួលដូចបកចេក, ง่ายนิดเดียว ง่ายเหมือนปอกกล้วยเข้าปาก
this describes something that is really easy to do or takes very little effort.
• The exam was a piece of cake. I knew all the answers, I was finished within half an hour.
• 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!
13. TAKE WITH A PINCH OF SALT ដោយល្អិតល្អន់, ด้วยไตรตรอง
this idiom is used when somebody is skeptical about something or someone.
• Detectives have to be skeptical and suspicious when interviewing suspects. They have to take everything being said with a pinch of salt.
• The statistics in the report need to be interpreted with a pinch of salt as they don’t include all the factors.
14. BUTTER UP លួងលោម, ทำให้ใจอ่อน
this idiom is used when somebody flatters somebody else, usually because they want something from them.
• 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.
• The employer buttered up to the manager as he wanted to be promoted to the new position in work.