Unit 16 Eating and Dining

Unit 16 Eating and Dining

Ear out to eat a meal prepared at a restaurant

             Also: grab a bite to eat

             Opposite meaning: eat in (to eat at home)

             USAGE NOTE: Grab a bite to eat is used to talk about a quick meal or snack.

             ▪ Every Saturday night the Thompsons eat out at their favorite restaurant.

             ▪ Let’s grab a bite to eat one the way to the theater, OK?

             ▪ It’s been a long day. Why don’t we eat in tonight?

Take out to leave a restaurant with the food instead of eating it there

             Also: carry out, to go

             GRAMMAR NOTE: Take out and carry out are separable.

             ▪ Many restaurants allow you to take out the food on their menus.

             ▪ Umberto decided to carry his dinner out rather than eat in the restaurant.

             ▪ Sir, is this order for here or to go?

Junk food food that has poor nutritional value

             ▪ Fast-food restaurants are the most familiar places that serve junk food.

             ▪ Hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes are typical examples of juck food.

Eat up to eat completely, to devout

             Also: gobble up

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: Both forms are separable. Gobble up generally refers to the act of eating very quickly.

             ▪ The boys were so hungry that they ate up all the hot dogs in a couple of minutes.

             ▪ John gobbled the food up without even saying a word.

Leftovers food that remains uneaten from a meal

             Related form: be left over (verb)

             ▪ I usually cook extra food for dinner and then save the leftovers for snacks and other meals.

             ▪ Judy expected some food to be left over from Thanksgiving, but it was all eaten.

Doggy bag a special container for taking uneaten food from a restaurant

             ▪ If some food is left over from a restaurant meal, you can ask for a doggy bag to take it with you.

             ▪ A doggy bag can be anything from a nice plastic container to a simple foil wrapper.

Pot luck a meal where each invited person contributes one item of food

             GRAMMAR NOTE: This idiom can be hypgenated to form an adjective. (In some dictionaries, this idiom is spelled as one word.)

             ▪ Sarah enjoys going to pot lucks because there is always such a variety of food.

             ▪ A pot-lucks picnic is a popular activity in the summertime.

Pig out to eat too much food

             Also: stuff one’s face

             USAGE NOTE: Both idioms are used informally.

             ▪ After I’ve pigged out on ice cream at night, I always regret it the next day.

             ▪ It’s impolite to stuff your face in front of other people, especially guests.

Wolf down to eat or drink very quickly

             Also: gulp down

             GRAMMAR NOTE/USAGE NOTES: Both idioms are separable. Wolf down is used for food and drink in general. Gulp down is generally used for drink.

             ▪ Ulrike wolfed down her breakfast before leaving for work.

             ▪ Gulping down cold water while you’re exercising can cause a stomachache.

Have a sweet tooth to enjoy eating sweet foods such as candies and desserts.

             USAGE NOTE: Adverbs such as quite and adjectives such as bad can be added.

             ▪ Joan always has a supply of chocolates on ger desk. She has quite a sweet tooth.

             ▪ Ted is overweight because he has a bad sweet tooth.