Everyone enjoys food, but sometimes people eat more than they need. This habit is called gluttony. When someone eats too much or can’t stop eating, people often use special phrases to describe it. These phrases are called idioms. Idioms are groups of words with meanings that are different from what the words usually mean. They help make language more fun and interesting.
In this article, we will explore idioms about gluttony. These idioms can be silly, smart, or surprising. They show how people talk about eating a lot in different ways. You might even hear these idioms in books, movies, or everyday life. Learning them can help you understand English better and maybe make you laugh too.
Idioms About Gluttony
1. Eat like a horse
Meaning: Eat a lot of food
Example Sentence:
• Jake eats like a horse after baseball practice.
• My brother eats like a horse at the buffet.
Other ways to say: Eat a lot, have a big appetite
Fun Fact/Origin: Horses are big animals and eat a lot of hay and grain.
Usage: Used to describe someone who eats a lot.
2. Stuff your face
Meaning: Eat food very quickly and greedily
Example Sentence:
• He stuffed his face with cookies before dinner.
• We stuffed our faces with pizza at the party.
Other ways to say: Pig out, gobble up
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom paints a picture of someone cramming food into their mouth.
Usage: Used when someone eats a lot quickly.
3. Pig out
Meaning: Eat too much, usually junk food
Example Sentence:
• We pigged out on chips during the sleepover.
• He pigged out on ice cream after school.
Other ways to say: Overeat, binge
Fun Fact/Origin: Pigs are often shown eating a lot in cartoons.
Usage: Used when someone eats too much, especially snacks.
4. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: Take on too much, especially food or work
Example Sentence:
• He bit off more than he could chew with that giant burger.
• I bit off more than I could chew trying to eat two foot-long subs.
Other ways to say: Take too much, overdo it
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from taking a bite of food that’s too big to chew.
Usage: Used when someone takes more than they can handle.
5. Have eyes bigger than your stomach
Meaning: Take more food than you can eat
Example Sentence:
• I took three slices of cake, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach.
• She always has eyes bigger than her stomach at the buffet.
Other ways to say: Take too much food
Fun Fact/Origin: It’s about wanting more than your body can handle.
Usage: Used when someone puts too much on their plate.
6. Go back for seconds
Meaning: Return for more food after finishing a plate
Example Sentence:
• He went back for seconds at the barbecue.
• I always go back for seconds when there’s mac and cheese.
Other ways to say: Have more, get another helping
Fun Fact/Origin: Common at big family meals or buffets.
Usage: Used when someone wants more food after their first serving.
7. Wolf down
Meaning: Eat very fast
Example Sentence:
• He wolfed down his burger in two bites.
• She wolfed down her lunch before the bell.
Other ways to say: Gobble up, eat quickly
Fun Fact/Origin: Wolves eat fast in the wild to protect their food.
Usage: Used when someone eats in a rush.
8. Eat like there’s no tomorrow
Meaning: Eat as much as you can, as if food will run out
Example Sentence:
• He was eating like there’s no tomorrow at the picnic.
• She ate like there’s no tomorrow during the sleepover.
Other ways to say: Eat a lot, overeat
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom imagines someone trying to eat everything in one day.
Usage: Used when someone eats too much all at once.
9. Clean your plate
Meaning: Eat all the food served to you
Example Sentence:
• Mom told me to clean my plate before dessert.
• He always cleans his plate at dinner.
Other ways to say: Finish your food, eat it all
Fun Fact/Origin: Parents often say this at dinner.
Usage: Used when someone finishes all their food.
10. Chow down
Meaning: Eat with enthusiasm
Example Sentence:
• We chowed down on burgers after the game.
• Let’s chow down—dinner smells great!
Other ways to say: Dig in, eat up
Fun Fact/Origin: “Chow” is slang for food.
Usage: Used when eating happily or with energy.
11. Eat someone out of house and home
Meaning: Eat so much that the person runs out of food
Example Sentence:
• When my cousins visit, they eat us out of house and home.
• He eats his grandma out of house and home every summer.
Other ways to say: Eat everything, finish all the food
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom is from old English plays like Shakespeare’s.
Usage: Used when someone eats more than expected at someone else’s home.
12. Gobble up
Meaning: Eat something quickly and eagerly
Example Sentence:
• She gobbled up the pancakes in a minute.
• They gobbled up all the snacks during the movie.
Other ways to say: Devour, wolf down
Fun Fact/Origin: “Gobble” sounds like what turkeys do and became a word for eating fast.
Usage: Used when someone eats quickly and with excitement.
13. Glued to the fridge
Meaning: Keep going to the fridge for food
Example Sentence:
• On weekends, he’s glued to the fridge all day.
• She was glued to the fridge during the snowstorm.
Other ways to say: Constantly eating, always snacking
Fun Fact/Origin: A fun way to picture someone always checking the fridge.
Usage: Used for someone who keeps eating without a break.
14. Eat like a bird
Meaning: Eat very little (used for contrast with gluttony)
Example Sentence:
• My sister eats like a bird, but I eat like a horse.
• He eats like a bird during lunch, but snacks all day.
Other ways to say: Eat small bites, nibble
Fun Fact/Origin: Birds eat tiny amounts, so this idiom shows small appetites.
Usage: Used to show how little someone eats—sometimes before they eat more later.
15. Shovel it in
Meaning: Eat quickly, like using a shovel
Example Sentence:
• He shoveled in his cereal before the bus came.
• I watched him shovel it in like he hadn’t eaten all day.
Other ways to say: Gobble, cram food in
Fun Fact/Origin: From the idea of using a shovel to load food fast.
Usage: Used when someone eats quickly and without stopping.
16. Eat to your heart’s content
Meaning: Eat as much as you want
Example Sentence:
• At the buffet, we ate to our heart’s content.
• Grandma said, “Eat to your heart’s content!”
Other ways to say: Eat as much as you like, have plenty
Fun Fact/Origin: From the idea of doing something until you feel happy.
Usage: Used when someone is allowed to eat freely.
17. Cram food in
Meaning: Force a lot of food into your mouth
Example Sentence:
• He crammed food in during lunch like it was a contest.
• I crammed food in before the movie started.
Other ways to say: Stuff your face, shovel it in
Fun Fact/Origin: “Cram” means to force things into a tight space.
Usage: Used when someone eats fast and takes big bites.
18. Eat everything but the kitchen sink
Meaning: Eat a huge amount of food
Example Sentence:
• He ate everything but the kitchen sink at the party.
• We were so hungry, we ate everything but the kitchen sink.
Other ways to say: Eat a lot, overeat
Fun Fact/Origin: This is a twist on the phrase “everything but the kitchen sink” meaning everything imaginable.
Usage: Used to show someone ate almost all the food available.
19. Belly up to the table
Meaning: Sit down ready to eat a lot
Example Sentence:
• We bellied up to the table for Thanksgiving dinner.
• The kids bellied up to the table after playing outside.
Other ways to say: Get ready to eat, sit for a big meal
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from cowboy slang—“belly up” means come close.
Usage: Used before someone starts eating a lot.
20. Mow down food
Meaning: Eat quickly and greedily
Example Sentence:
• He mowed down that burger like it was nothing.
• She mowed down her lunch in five minutes.
Other ways to say: Gobble up, chow down
Fun Fact/Origin: “Mow down” usually means to cut grass quickly, like how fast someone eats.
Usage: Used when someone eats really fast.
21. Snack attack
Meaning: Sudden urge to eat snacks
Example Sentence:
• I had a snack attack and grabbed chips and cookies.
• She gets a snack attack every night after dinner.
Other ways to say: Sudden hunger, crave snacks
Fun Fact/Origin: A fun rhyme that shows a sudden need for snacks.
Usage: Used when someone eats a lot of small foods suddenly.
22. Gut-buster
Meaning: A huge, filling meal
Example Sentence:
• That double cheeseburger was a real gut-buster.
• We had a gut-buster breakfast with pancakes, eggs, and bacon.
Other ways to say: Huge meal, heavy meal
Fun Fact/Origin: It means something so big, your belly feels full to bursting.
Usage: Used to describe very large or heavy meals.
23. Dig in
Meaning: Start eating with excitement
Example Sentence:
• The food’s ready—let’s dig in!
• Everyone dug in as soon as the pizza arrived.
Other ways to say: Start eating, chow down
Fun Fact/Origin: “Dig” means to move something with effort, like starting to eat.
Usage: Used to begin a meal with excitement.
24. Food coma
Meaning: Feeling sleepy after eating too much
Example Sentence:
• I fell into a food coma after Thanksgiving dinner.
• After all that pizza, he was in a food coma on the couch.
Other ways to say: Too full to move, very sleepy
Fun Fact/Origin: Not a real coma—just feeling too stuffed to do anything.
Usage: Used to describe how tired you feel after a big meal.
25. Bottomless pit
Meaning: Someone who never seems full
Example Sentence:
• My little brother is a bottomless pit—he’s always hungry.
• She’s like a bottomless pit at dinner time!
Other ways to say: Always hungry, eats nonstop
Fun Fact/Origin: A pit with no bottom can’t be filled, just like some appetites.
Usage: Used when someone always wants more food.
Quiz: Idioms About Gluttony
Instructions: Read each question and the answer choices carefully. Pick the letter that best matches the meaning of the phrase or expression.
Question Key
1. What does “eat like a horse” mean?
A) Eat slowly
B) Eat a large amount of food
C) Eat only vegetables
2. If someone is “stuffing their face,” what are they doing?
A) Playing a game
B) Eating fast and greedily
C) Talking loudly
3. What does it mean to “have eyes bigger than your stomach”?
A) Wanting more food than you can actually eat
B) Watching others eat
C) Not being hungry at all
4. When someone is in a “food coma,” what are they feeling?
A) Very hungry
B) Full of energy
C) Very sleepy from eating too much
5. If you “clean your plate,” what does that mean?
A) You make your plate look shiny
B) You eat all the food on your plate
C) You throw your food away
6. What does “go back for seconds” mean?
A) Watch the clock
B) Wait two minutes
C) Get more food after finishing your first serving
7. If someone is called a “bottomless pit,” what does that mean?
A) They fall down a lot
B) They’re always hungry
C) They never eat anything
8. What does it mean to “wolf down” your food?
A) Eat very slowly
B) Eat like an animal, very fast
C) Share food with friends
9. If you “pig out” at a party, what are you doing?
A) Helping others clean
B) Talking a lot
C) Eating a lot of food without stopping
10. When someone “bellies up to the table,” what are they doing?
A) Preparing to eat a big meal
B) Doing a belly dance
C) Lying on the floor
Answer Key
- B) Eat a large amount of food
- B) Eating fast and greedily
- A) Wanting more food than you can actually eat
- C) Very sleepy from eating too much
- B) You eat all the food on your plate
- C) Get more food after finishing your first serving
- B) They’re always hungry
- B) Eat like an animal, very fast
- C) Eating a lot of food without stopping
- A) Preparing to eat a big meal
Wrapping Up
Idioms about gluttony help us talk about food and eating in fun and colorful ways. These phrases aren’t just about meals—they also show how people act when they really enjoy eating or sometimes eat too much. From “pig out” to “bottomless pit,” each idiom tells a little story.
Learning these idioms can help you understand conversations better and even make your own speech more interesting. Next time you see someone wolfing down a snack or going back for seconds, you’ll know just what to say.
