Food & Hunger: English Vocabulary List

to cause significant damage or destruction to something by subjecting it to intense heat or fire

"The fire burned it crisp."

"I forgot the pizza in the oven and burned it to a crisp so we had to order takeout."

to eat an excessive amount of food

"He eats like a horse."

"My teenage son eats like a pig and finishes everything on the table."

to eat so much of food available in someone's house so that there is little or none left

"They ate us out."

"The teenagers ate my brother out of house and home during their week-long visit, leaving almost no food in the fridge."

to eat more food than one's body needs or can handle

"Stop feeding your face and listen to me."

"He spent the entire evening at the buffet, just feeding his face with every dessert available."

to eat to excess

"He made a pig of himself."

"At the buffet, he made a pig of himself by eating five plates of food."

to start eating a meal

"It is noon, time to put the feedbag on."

"It is time to put the feedbag on because dinner is ready and I am very hungry."

to eat or drink to the point where one cannot keep eating or drinking anymore

"We ate to our fill."

"The guests were invited to eat to their fill at the wedding reception."

to have a very little desire to eat

"My sister eats like a bird always."

"Even though she is very thin, my grandmother insists that she eats like a bird and never finishes a full meal at dinner."

(of odors or smells) to travel through the air and being detected by someone's sense of smell

"A bad smell reached my nostrils."

"The terrible smell of rotten eggs reached his nostrils as soon as he opened the refrigerator door."

to quickly make a meal for oneself, often due to a time constraint

"Let's grab a bite to eat."

"Let us grab a bite to eat before the movie starts because I am really hungry."

the ability to eat a wide variety of foods without experiencing digestive problems

"The competitive eater has a cast-iron stomach."

"The competitive eater has a cast iron stomach and can consume massive amounts of food without getting sick."

a meal that is complete and satisfying

"She has not had a square meal in days."

"The square meal was a properly balanced nutritious meal with all food groups."

to develop a liking or preference for something after experiencing or trying it, often suggesting an increased desire or enjoyment for that particular thing

"I got a taste for spicy food."

"After trying sushi once, she quickly got a taste for Japanese cuisine."

used to refer to a cup of coffee

"I need a cup of joe to wake up."

"I need a strong cup of joe every morning before I can even think about starting my work."

to be compatible with someone or something's stomach

"Spicy food doesn't sit well with me."

"The heavy meal didn't sit well with her stomach, so she felt uncomfortable for the rest of the evening."

(of food) to be burned completely, due to being cooked too much or for too long

"The toast burned to a crisp."

"He forgot about the cookies in the oven, and they were burned to a crisp."

to develop a liking for a particular type of cuisine or dish after trying it

"I got a taste for sushi."

"After traveling through Southeast Asia, she developed a taste for exotic and spicy cuisines."

to be compatible with someone or something's stomach

"This food sits well."

"The bland, easily digestible meal is designed to sit well with patients recovering from illness."