The Fascinating Histories Behind 10 Food Idioms

If you're in the mood for some etymology with your Sunday brunch, dive into this spread of food-related expressions.

1. Apple of My Eye

In ancient times, people thought the pupil of the eye was a solid object and called it an apple. Shakespeare used the phrase in this way in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, writing: 'Flower of this purple dye,/Hit with Cupid’s archery,/Sink in apple of his eye!'

Over time, the expression evolved into the figurative meaning we use today: referring to someone as the apple of your eye signifies they are as precious as the eye or your vision itself.

The idiom first appeared in Old English, credited to King Alfred of Wessex in 'Gregory’s Pastoral Care' in 885, while its Modern English debut was in Sir Walter Scott’s 'Old Mortality' (1816).

The word 'pupil,' which replaced the apple, carries its own figurative sense. Originating from the Latin 'pupilla,' a diminutive of 'pupus' ('boy') or 'pupa' ('girl'), it was used to describe the dark center of the eye due to the tiny reflection of oneself visible when gazing into another person's eye.

2. Big Cheese

In 19th-century England, the term 'cheese' didn't necessarily refer to something large, but rather was synonymous with being a person of importance or high quality.

When the idiom made its way across the Atlantic in the early 1900s, the 'cheese' became a big deal, likely referring to the large wheels of cheese that were displayed and consumed in the U.S. The earliest reference to 'big cheese' meaning wealth or fame appears in O. Henry's 'Unprofessional Servant' (1910).

Why did the English associate cheese with important individuals? It may have nothing to do with actual dairy products. The phrase might have been created when someone misinterpreted the Hindi word 'chiz,' meaning 'a thing.' British colonizers could have adopted this term from India, possibly misunderstanding its meaning.

3. Red Herring

There is no actual fish known as a 'red herring.' The term refers to a kipper (a herring that’s cold-smoked) that becomes pungent and red as a result of the preservation process. This term in its literal sense dates back to the late Middle Ages. The idiomatic meaning likely originated from a method used to train young scent hounds, where a fish was dragged along a trail to teach the dog to follow the scent, and later, it was used to confuse the dog while training it to follow a different trail. Another theory suggests that escaping prisoners used stinky fish to mislead tracking dogs. The first explanation is supported by historical references, while the second one is mostly unsubstantiated.

Recent studies by etymologist Michael Quinion propose that the idiom's origin lies with journalist William Cobbett, who, in a 1807 article, described using a red herring to mislead hounds that were tracking a rabbit. Cobbett used this story as a metaphor for his criticism of the English press, which had been misled by inaccurate reports about Napoleon’s supposed defeat. As Cobbett put it, 'It was a mere transitory effect of the political red-herring; for, on the Saturday, the scent became as cold as a stone.' According to Quinion, this story and Cobbett’s use of the term in the media were significant enough to establish the figurative meaning of 'red herring,' which became widely accepted, though its origin in hunting practices remains largely mythical.

Whether the idiom originated from hunters and rural communities or gained popularity through Cobbett's writings, the figurative meaning of the phrase was firmly established in England by the early 1800s and spread to the U.S. by the 1860s.

4. Sowing Your Wild Oats

'Avena fatua,' a type of grass in the oat family, has been referred to as 'wild oats' by the English for centuries. Although it's believed to be the ancestor of cultivated oats, farmers have long despised it because it's useless as a cereal crop and difficult to separate from cultivated oats in the fields. Literally sowing wild oats, therefore, is a futile task, and the phrase is figuratively used to describe people engaging in pointless or unproductive activities. It also carries a sexual undertone, as the notion of a young man sowing his wild oats refers to spreading seed without any meaningful purpose.

The phrase was first recorded in English in 1542 by the Protestant clergyman Thomas Becon.

5. Bring Home the Bacon

The origin of the phrase 'bringing home the bacon' is unclear. It may stem from an old English tradition or be linked to the world of boxing.

One possible origin is the Dunmow Flitch tradition, which began in Great Dunmow, Essex, in 1104. A local couple earned the admiration of the prior of Little Dunmow for their marital loyalty, and as a reward, he presented them with a flitch (side) of bacon. The ceremony is well-documented and continues today, with couples demonstrating their devotion and winning the prize, thus bringing home the bacon.

Another potential origin comes from the 1906 fight between Joe Gans and Oliver Nelson for the world lightweight championship. The 'New York Post-Standard' reported that, before the fight, Gans received a telegram from his mother that read, 'Joe, the eyes of the world are on you. Everybody says you ought to win. Peter Jackson will tell me the news and you bring home the bacon.' The 'bacon' here likely refers to either the prize money or Gans's well-being, implying that he should come out of the fight unscathed. Gans won, and 'The New York Times' reported that he replied via telegram to his mother, stating, 'I had not only the bacon, but the gravy.'

While most etymology sources indicate that the phrase wasn't recorded before the fight in September 1906, they do note a surge in its usage in boxing-related contexts shortly afterward. It's unclear whether the idiom was created by Mrs. Gans (and if so, what inspired her), or if she was repeating an already existing phrase. Regardless, there is no doubt that her inclusion of it in the telegram played a major role in popularizing the expression.

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6. A Piece of Cake

The phrase 'a piece of cake' first appeared in Ogden Nash's 'Primrose Path' (1936), and seems to have evolved from the earlier term 'cakewalk.' This tradition, originating in 19th-century Black culture, involved people walking in a procession around a cake, with the most graceful pair winning it as a prize. This may also be the source of the phrase 'takes the cake.' Although the cakewalk required some skill and elegance, the expression was later adopted in boxing slang, referring to a fight that is easy to win.

7. Take It with a Grain of Salt

This expression has been in use in English since the 17th century and traces its origin back to Pliny the Elder’s 'Naturalis Historia':

'After the defeat of that mighty monarch, Mithridates, Gnaeus Pompeius discovered in his private cabinet a recipe for an antidote written in his own hand; it was as follows: Take two dried walnuts, two figs, and twenty leaves of rue; pound them all together, with the addition of a grain of salt; if a person consumes this mixture on an empty stomach, they will be protected from all poisons for that day.'

The figurative use of a grain of salt in processing received information allows one to take it less seriously, similar to how Mithridates’ antidote could render the poisons he encountered inconsequential.

A less historically supported origin suggests that a Roman general built resistance to various poisons by ingesting small doses, accompanied by a grain of salt to make them more tolerable. In this version, the figurative grain of salt helps digest information that could otherwise be deemed trivial or even harmful.

8. Born with a Silver Spoon in One’s Mouth

The spoon referred to is the apostle spoon, or christening spoon, traditionally given to infants during their baptism by their godparents (a custom in Europe since the 17th century and in the U.S. since the 18th century). These spoons often served as symbols of status and wealth, with wealthy godparents giving twelve spoons, each representing one apostle, often made of silver. Less affluent godparents would provide four spoons, each for one of the Gospel writers, while those with limited resources might offer a single spoon, often crafted from a less valuable metal. The practice of giving apostle spoons continues in some Roman Catholic families, but the term 'silver spoon' has since taken on a negative connotation, implying that wealth was inherited rather than earned.

9. Selling Like Hotcakes

The term hotcake has been around since the late 17th century, while pancake made its debut in England around 1400. The figurative phrase ‘to be in great demand’ didn’t surface until about 1840, with no evidence of any actual rush for hotcakes that might have inspired its origin. Instead, etymologists speculate that because hotcakes have always been a staple at events like county fairs and church socials, where the demand often outstrips the number of available cooks, the phrase gained traction through widespread use.

Another theory suggests that in Britain, Canada, and Australia, pancakes are traditionally eaten on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent, to use up all the butter, sugar, and other indulgent ingredients that people plan to forgo during the fasting period. Anticipating 40 days of abstinence, the pancakes are devoured quickly, even though they may not literally be sold.

10. Egg Someone On

This expression has nothing to do with eggs themselves. In fact, the egg here is a verb meaning ‘to encourage or incite,’ which traces its roots back to the Old Norse word eggja. This sense of the word first emerged in English around 1200, and the phrase was recorded by the mid-16th century. Interestingly, the unrelated use of egg meaning to throw (rotten) eggs dates back to 1857.