'Let's Eat!' Thanksgiving Dinner Idioms
2020-11-22
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1Now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English.
2Thanksgiving is a holiday in the United States that involves family, friends, fellowship, and food!
3So, today we will talk about some English expressions that deal with food and eating.
4Let's start with the star of many Thanksgiving meals - the turkey!
5You could say it's time to "talk turkey!"
6When we say that in American English, it means it is time to start talking seriously about a problem and solve it.
7It does not mean to talk about how dry the cooked turkey is.
8 (Although that is a common Thanksgiving conversation.)
9"Talking turkey" is talking direct.
10For example, let's say some politicians are having a very long meeting about education.
11They say a lot without really saying anything important.
12Finally, one of them says, "Look, we need to start talking turkey about our failing schools in the city.
13 They are not going to fix themselves!"
14Now, let's move on to a popular side dish - mashed potatoes!
15Now, potatoes do not have a strong taste.
16So, when you make mashed potatoes it is important to add butter and salt.
17It is important to butter up those potatoes, but did you know that you can also butter up people?
18If I butter up my friends, I tell them lots of wonderful things about them.
19In other words, I flatter them. I give them lots of compliments.
20However, I don't say these things just to be nice.
21I want something from them.
22Back in middle school, I once buttered up my teacher for weeks hoping to get a better grade.
23That did not work. It just made him angry.
24Some people do not like to be flattered or buttered up.
25The person who you are buttering up might even say, "Don't try to butter me up. Flattery will get you nowhere."
26Now, let's add some salt to those mashed potatoes!
27But not too much. If you add too much salt, you make a dish unhealthy and it is likely to taste bad.
28Sometimes just a pinch is all you need.
29A grain of salt is even less.
30That is the smallest piece of salt.
31If I take something with a pinch of salt, or grain of salt, I do not take it too seriously.
32For example, one of my friends is known for exaggerating and sometimes lying.
33One day, he tells me that he plans to sell all of his belongings, move to New York City and become a poet.
34I take this information with a grain of salt.
35I've heard these kinds of plans from him before.
36And they never turn out to be true.
37While eating Thanksgiving dinner, you must remember to save room for dessert!
38The sweet food that comes after dinner is a big part of the celebration.
39For some reason pie is more common at Thanksgiving than cake.
40Pumpkin pie is probably one of the most common in America.
41But apple, cherry, and pecan pie are often served, too.
42In fact, one dinner may have a collection of different pies.
43So, here is an expression related to pie.
44If something is very, very easy to do, it is "easy as pie."
45In fact, I have made many, many pies.
46So, I could say making pie is - you guessed it -- easy as pie.
47You can use this idiom for just about anything that is not too serious.
48When I invite people to my home for Thanksgiving, I make LOTS of pie.
49I want to have enough.
50This way, everyone gets a slice of the pie.
51When you "get a slice of the pie," it is not always something you can eat.
52This idiom also means that you get part of the money or profits from a shared deal.
53Before we end, there is one more Thanksgiving expression we need to talk about.
54Stuffing is a very popular Thanksgiving food.
55It is a combination of bread, onions, celery or other vegetables and herbs.
56Some people stuff the mixture into the turkey and bake the whole thing together.
57While many people serve it as a side dish, some families have a stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving.
58And like a turkey, we can also feel stuffed after finishing a big Thanksgiving meal and eating too much.
59"Would you like more turkey? More mashed potatoes?"
60"No thanks. I'm stuffed!"
61And that's all for this Words and Their Stories - Thanksgiving program!
62Until next time - I'm Anna Matteo.
63And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning English. 2Thanksgiving is a holiday in the United States that involves family, friends, fellowship, and food! 3So, today we will talk about some English expressions that deal with food and eating. 4Let's start with the star of many Thanksgiving meals - the turkey! 5You could say it's time to "talk turkey!" 6When we say that in American English, it means it is time to start talking seriously about a problem and solve it. It does not mean to talk about how dry the cooked turkey is. (Although that is a common Thanksgiving conversation.) 7"Talking turkey" is talking direct. For example, let's say some politicians are having a very long meeting about education. They say a lot without really saying anything important. Finally, one of them says, "Look, we need to start talking turkey about our failing schools in the city. They are not going to fix themselves!" 8Now, let's move on to a popular side dish - mashed potatoes! 9To butter someone up 10Now, potatoes do not have a strong taste. So, when you make mashed potatoes it is important to add butter and salt. 11It is important to butter up those potatoes, but did you know that you can also butter up people? 12If I butter up my friends, I tell them lots of wonderful things about them. In other words, I flatter them. I give them lots of compliments. 13However, I don't say these things just to be nice. I want something from them. Back in middle school, I once buttered up my teacher for weeks hoping to get a better grade. That did not work. It just made him angry. Some people do not like to be flattered or buttered up. The person who you are buttering up might even say, "Don't try to butter me up. Flattery will get you nowhere." 14Take it with a pinch a salt 15Now, let's add some salt to those mashed potatoes! 16But not too much. If you add too much salt, you make a dish unhealthy and it is likely to taste bad. Sometimes just a pinch is all you need. A grain of salt is even less. That is the smallest piece of salt. 17If I take something with a pinch of salt, or grain of salt, I do not take it too seriously. For example, one of my friends is known for exaggerating and sometimes lying. 18One day, he tells me that he plans to sell all of his belongings, move to New York City and become a poet. I take this information with a grain of salt. I've heard these kinds of plans from him before. And they never turn out to be true. 19While eating Thanksgiving dinner, you must remember to save room for dessert! The sweet food that comes after dinner is a big part of the celebration. 20For some reason pie is more common at Thanksgiving than cake. Pumpkin pie is probably one of the most common in America. But apple, cherry, and pecan pie are often served, too. 21In fact, one dinner may have a collection of different pies. So, here is an expression related to pie. 22Easy as pie 23If something is very, very easy to do, it is "easy as pie." 24In fact, I have made many, many pies. So, I could say making pie is - you guessed it -- easy as pie. You can use this idiom for just about anything that is not too serious. 25When I invite people to my home for Thanksgiving, I make LOTS of pie. I want to have enough. This way, everyone gets a slice of the pie. 26When you "get a slice of the pie," it is not always something you can eat. This idiom also means that you get part of the money or profits from a shared deal. 27Before we end, there is one more Thanksgiving expression we need to talk about. 28I'm stuffed! 29Stuffing is a very popular Thanksgiving food. It is a combination of bread, onions, celery or other vegetables and herbs. Some people stuff the mixture into the turkey and bake the whole thing together. While many people serve it as a side dish, some families have a stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving. 30And like a turkey, we can also feel stuffed after finishing a big Thanksgiving meal and eating too much. 31"Would you like more turkey? More mashed potatoes?" 32"No thanks. I'm stuffed!" 33And that's all for this Words and Their Stories - Thanksgiving program! 34Until next time - I'm Anna Matteo. 35And I'm Caty Weaver. 36Anna Matteo wrote this story. Mario Ritter Jr. was the editor. 37_______________________________________________________________ 38Words in This Story 39fellowship -n. a friendly relationship among people 40conversation -n. an informal talk involving two people or a small group of people : the act of talking in an informal way 41direct -adj. coming straight from a cause or reason : connected or related to something in a clear way 42side dish -n. food served separately along with the main dish 43flatter -v. to praise someone in a way that is not real or sincere 44compliment -n. a remark that says something good about a person or thing 45pinch -n. the amount of something that can be held between a finder and the thumb 46exaggerating -v. to describe or think of something as being bigger or greater than it really is 47idiom -n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own 48Did you like this program or learn anything from it? 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