EFE learning modules / Food & Ingredients

Food & Ingredients @ Identifying common types of food, naming kitchen staples, and describing different food-making processes and preparation methods.

Common Expressions Back to Catalog

Explore Contexts

Select a specific social context to practice.

Piece of cake

/ፒስ ኦቭ ኬክ/

በጣም ቀላል

Something that is very easy to do

ለማከናወን በጣም ቀላል የሆነ ነገር

In Practice

"The exam was a piece of cake."

"Fixing the sink was a piece of cake."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe a task that requires little effort.

Bread and butter

/ብሬድ ኤንድ ባተር/

መሰረታዊ የገቢ ምንጭ

A person's main source of income

የአንድ ሰው ዋና የገቢ ምንጭ

In Practice

"Teaching is my bread and butter."

"Small repairs are the shop's bread and butter."

Fluent Tip

Refers to the work that provides the money you need to live.

In a pickle

/ኢን ኤ ፒክል/

በአስቸጋሪ ሁኔታ ውስጥ

In a difficult or messy situation

በአስቸጋሪ ወይም በረበሸ ሁኔታ ውስጥ መሆን

In Practice

"We are in a pickle because the car broke down."

"He found himself in a pickle after losing his keys."

Fluent Tip

Informal way to say someone is in trouble.

Full of beans

/ፉል ኦቭ ቢንስ/

በሃይል የተሞላ

Having a lot of energy and enthusiasm

ብዙ ጉልበት እና ጉጉት ያለው

In Practice

"The kids are full of beans today."

"She's always full of beans in the morning."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe someone very energetic.

Cool as a cucumber

/ኩሉ አዝ ኤ ኪውከምበር/

በጣም የተረጋጋ

Very calm and composed, especially under pressure

በተለይ በውጥረት ውስጥ በጣም የተረጋጋ መሆን

In Practice

"She stayed cool as a cucumber during the interview."

"He was cool as a cucumber even in the crisis."

Fluent Tip

Describes someone who doesn't get nervous.

Spill the beans

/ስፒል ዘ ቢንስ/

ምስጢር ማውጣት

To reveal a secret

ምስጢርን መግለጽ

In Practice

"Don't spill the beans about the surprise party."

"He finally spilled the beans about the project."

Fluent Tip

Used when someone tells a secret accidentally or on purpose.

Bring home the bacon

/ብሪንግ ሆም ዘ ቤከን/

ቤተሰብን ማስተዳደር

To earn money to support a family

ቤተሰብን ለመርዳት ገንዘብ ማግኘት

In Practice

"She works two jobs to bring home the bacon."

"Both parents bring home the bacon in their house."

Fluent Tip

Refers to earning the household income.

Take with a grain of salt

/ቴክ ዊዝ ኤ ግሬይን ኦቭ ሶልት/

በጥንቃቄ መቀበል

To view something with skepticism

አንድን ነገር በጥርጣሬ መመልከት

In Practice

"Take his stories with a grain of salt."

"I took the rumors with a grain of salt."

Fluent Tip

Used when you shouldn't believe something completely.

Not my cup of tea

/ኖት ማይ ካፕ ኦቭ ቲ/

ምርጫዬ አይደለም

Not something one likes or is interested in

አንድ ሰው የማይወደው ወይም የማይፈልገው ነገር

In Practice

"Opera is not my cup of tea."

"Skiing isn't really my cup of tea."

Fluent Tip

Polite way to say you don't like something.

Egg on your face

/ኤግ ኦን ዩር ፌስ/

መሸማቀቅ

To look foolish or be embarrassed

ሞኝ መስሎ መታየት ወይም መሸማቀቅ

In Practice

"He had egg on his face after his prediction failed."

"The CEO had egg on his face when the error was found."

Fluent Tip

Used when someone is embarrassed by an error.

Apple of my eye

/አፕል ኦቭ ማይ አይ/

የአይን ማረፊያ

Someone who is cherished above all others

ከሌሎች ሁሉ በላይ የሚወደድ ሰው

In Practice

"His youngest daughter is the apple of his eye."

"She was the apple of her grandmother's eye."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe a favorite person.

Big cheese

/ቢግ ቺዝ/

ተደማጭነት ያለው ሰው

An important or influential person

አስፈላጊ ወይም ተደማጭነት ያለው ሰው

In Practice

"He is the big cheese in the marketing department."

"The big cheese is coming to visit the office."

Fluent Tip

Often used humorously to describe a boss.

Boil over

/ቦይል ኦቨር/

ገንፍሎ መውጣት

When a liquid flows over the side of a pot while boiling

ፈሳሽ በሚፈላበት ጊዜ ከድስት ጎን ሲፈስ

In Practice

"The milk boiled over onto the stove."

"Keep an eye on the soup so it doesn't boil over."

Fluent Tip

Common in cooking instructions.

Chop up

/ቾፕ አፕ/

ቆራርጦ መክተፍ

To cut something into small pieces

አንድን ነገር ወደ ትናንሽ ቁርጥራጮች መቁረጥ

In Practice

"Chop up the onions for the stew."

"I need to chop up these vegetables."

Fluent Tip

Used for food preparation.

Cut down on

/ካት ዳውን ኦን/

መቀነስ

To reduce the amount of something you eat or drink

የሚበሉትን ወይም የሚጠጡትን መጠን መቀነስ

In Practice

"I'm trying to cut down on sugar."

"He needs to cut down on fatty foods."

Fluent Tip

Often used regarding health and diets.

Eat out

/ኢት አውት/

ውጭ መብላት

To eat a meal at a restaurant instead of at home

ቤት ውስጥ ከመብላት ይልቅ ምግብ ቤት መብላት

In Practice

"We like to eat out on Fridays."

"Should we eat out or cook at home?"

Fluent Tip

Common social expression.

Whip up

/ዊፕ አፕ/

በፍጥነት ማዘጋጀት

To prepare a meal very quickly

ምግብን በጣም በፍጥነት ማዘጋጀት

In Practice

"I can whip up an omelet in five minutes."

"She whipped up a quick snack for the kids."

Fluent Tip

Informal cooking term.

Warm up

/ዎርም አፕ/

ማሞቅ

To heat food that has already been cooked

ቀድሞ የተበሰለ ምግብን ማሞቅ

In Practice

"I'll warm up the leftovers for dinner."

"Can you warm up the soup?"

Fluent Tip

Used for reheating meals.

Pig out

/ፒግ አውት/

በብዛት መብላት

To eat a large amount of food at once

በአንድ ጊዜ ከፍተኛ መጠን ያለው ምግብ መብላት

In Practice

"We pigged out on pizza last night."

"I usually pig out during the holidays."

Fluent Tip

Informal/Slang usage for overeating.

Bake off

/ቤክ ኦፍ/

ጋግሮ መጨረስ

To finish baking something that was prepared earlier

ቀድሞ የተዘጋጀን ነገር ጋግሮ መጨረስ

In Practice

"We need to bake off the cookies."

"The bakery bakes off fresh bread every hour."

Fluent Tip

Common in professional kitchens.

Mix up

/ሚክስ አፕ/

መቀላቀል

To combine ingredients together

ንጥረ ነገሮችን አንድ ላይ ማዋሃድ

In Practice

"Mix up the flour and the water."

"I mixed up a batch of pancake batter."

Fluent Tip

Basic preparation instruction.

Dice up

/ዳይስ አፕ/

በትናንሽ ካሬዎች መክተፍ

To cut food into small cubes

ምግብን ወደ ትናንሽ ካሬዎች መቁረጥ

In Practice

"Dice up the carrots finely."

"He diced up the cheese for the salad."

Fluent Tip

Specific cutting technique.

Boil down to

/ቦይል ዳውን ቱ/

በዋናነት መጠቃለል

To reduce a liquid by boiling; or to summarize

ፈሳሽን በማፍላት መቀነስ፤ ወይም ማጠቃለል

In Practice

"The sauce will boil down to a thick glaze."

"The problem boils down to a lack of salt."

Fluent Tip

Can be literal (cooking) or figurative (logic).

Wash down

/ዋሽ ዳውን/

በመጠጥ ማውረድ

To drink something to help swallow food

ምግብን ለመዋጥ የሚረዳ ነገር መጠጣት

In Practice

"I washed the spicy food down with water."

"He used a soda to wash down the dry sandwich."

Fluent Tip

Commonly used during meals.

Too many cooks spoil the broth

/ቱ ሜኒ ኩክስ ስፖይል ዘ ብሮዝ/

ብዙ ሰሪ ካለ ስራው ይበላሻል

If too many people work on the same task, it will fail

ብዙ ሰዎች በአንድ ተግባር ላይ ከሰሩ ውጤቱ ይበላሻል

In Practice

"We don't need five people planning this dinner; too many cooks spoil the broth."

"Avoid having too many managers on one project; too many cooks spoil the broth."

Fluent Tip

Warning against over-management.

You can't have your cake and eat it too

/ዩ ካንት ሃቭ ዩር ኬክ ኤንድ ኢት ኢት ቱ/

ሁለቱንም በአንድ ላይ ማግኘት አይቻልም

You cannot have two incompatible things at the same time

ሁለት የማይጣጣሙ ነገሮችን በአንድ ጊዜ ማግኘት አይቻልም

In Practice

"You want to save money but go on vacation; you can't have your cake and eat it too."

"He wants a big house but low taxes; you can't have your cake and eat it too."

Fluent Tip

Used when someone wants contradictory things.

Don't cry over spilled milk

/ዶንት ክራይ ኦቨር ስፒልድ ሚልክ/

ላለፈ ነገር አይቆጩም

Don't waste time worrying about things that have already happened

ቀድሞውኑ በሆኑ ነገሮች ላይ በመጨነቅ ጊዜን አያባክኑ

In Practice

"The vase is broken, but don't cry over spilled milk."

"I lost the receipt, but there's no use crying over spilled milk."

Fluent Tip

Encouragement to move on from mistakes.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

/አን አፕል ኤ ዴይ ኪፕስ ዘ ዶክተር አዌይ/

ጤናማ አመጋገብ ለጤና ይረዳል

Eating healthy food keeps you healthy

ጤናማ ምግብ መመገብ ጤናማ ያደርግዎታል

In Practice

"I always bring fruit for lunch because an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

"He believes that an apple a day keeps the doctor away."

Fluent Tip

General health advice.

Half a loaf is better than none

/ሃፍ ኤ ሎፍ ኢዝ ቤተር ዛን ናን/

ከምንም ይሻላል

Getting less than what you wanted is better than getting nothing

ከሚፈልጉት ያነሰ ማግኘት ምንም ከማግኘት ይሻላል

In Practice

"The job pays less than I hoped, but half a loaf is better than none."

"Accept the compromise; half a loaf is better than none."

Fluent Tip

Used to encourage gratitude for partial success.

Forbidden fruit is the sweetest

/ፎርቢደን ፍሩት ኢዝ ዘ ስዊተስት/

የተከለከለ ነገር ይጣፍጣል

Things that are prohibited are often the most desired

የተከለከሉ ነገሮች ብዙውን ጊዜ በጣም የሚፈለጉ ናቸው

In Practice

"He knows he shouldn't eat chocolate, but forbidden fruit is the sweetest."

"The secret club became popular because forbidden fruit is the sweetest."

Fluent Tip

Observation on human nature.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

/አውት ኦቭ ዘ ፍራይንግ ፓን ኤንድ ኢንቱ ዘ ፋየር/

ከዝናብ ወደ በረዶ

Going from a bad situation to an even worse one

ከመጥፎ ሁኔታ ወደ ይባስ የከፋ ሁኔታ መሄድ

In Practice

"He quit his stressful job only to find a worse one; out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"Changing schools made things harder; it was out of the frying pan and into the fire."

Fluent Tip

Describes escalating problems.

Hunger is the best sauce

/ሃንገር ኢዝ ዘ ቤስት ሶስ/

የራበው ሰው ሁሉንም ነገር ይወዳል

When you are hungry, everything tastes good

ሲርብዎት ማንኛውም ነገር ይጣፍጣል

In Practice

"Even the plain bread tasted great because hunger is the best sauce."

"After hiking all day, hunger was the best sauce for our simple meal."

Fluent Tip

Commentary on appreciation of food.

You are what you eat

/ዩ አር ዋት ዩ ኢት/

የሚበሉት ነገር ጤናዎን ይወስናል

Your health is determined by your diet

ጤናዎ የሚወሰነው በሚመገቡት ምግብ ነው

In Practice

"Stop eating junk food; remember you are what you eat."

"She started eating more greens because you are what you eat."

Fluent Tip

Emphasis on healthy eating.

Bread is the staff of life

/ብሬድ ኢዝ ዘ ስታፍ ኦቭ ላይፍ/

እንጀራ የህይወት መሰረት ነው

Food is necessary for survival

ምግብ ለህልውና አስፈላጊ ነው

In Practice

"In many cultures, bread is the staff of life."

"Wheat production is vital since bread is the staff of life."

Fluent Tip

Formal or poetic reference to basic food.

Fine words butter no parsnips

/ፋይን ወርድስ ባተር ኖ ፓርስኒፕስ/

ባዶ ተስፋ ሆድ አይሞላም

Action is more important than mere words

ተግባር ከቃላት ይበልጥ አስፈላጊ ነው

In Practice

"He promised a raise, but fine words butter no parsnips."

"We need results, not excuses; fine words butter no parsnips."

Fluent Tip

Used to dismiss empty promises.

Every cook praises his own broth

/ኤቭሪ ኩክ ፕሬይዝስ ሂዝ ኦውን ብሮዝ/

ሁሉም የራሱን ስራ ያደንቃል

Everyone thinks their own work or ideas are the best

ሁሉም ሰው የራሱን ስራ ወይም ሃሳብ የተሻለ እንደሆነ ያስባል

In Practice

"Of course he likes his own design; every cook praises his own broth."

"She won't admit the mistake because every cook praises his own broth."

Fluent Tip

Commentary on personal bias.

Grub

/ግራብ/

ምግብ

Food in general

ምግብ በጥቅሉ

In Practice

"Let's go get some grub."

"The grub at the party was great."

Fluent Tip

Very informal.

Nosh

/ኖሽ/

መክሰስ መብላት

To eat or snack on something

አንድን ነገር መብላት ወይም መክሰስ

In Practice

"We had a quick nosh before the movie."

"Are there any noshes in the kitchen?"

Fluent Tip

Informal, often refers to light eating.

Veg out

/ቬጅ አውት/

ዘና ማለት

To relax and do nothing, like a vegetable

እንደ አትክልት ዘና ማለት እና ምንም ነገር አለማድረግ

In Practice

"I'm going to veg out in front of the TV tonight."

"After work, I just want to veg out."

Fluent Tip

Describes lazy relaxation.

Munchies

/ ማንቺስ/

የመክሰስ ፍላጎት

A strong desire for snacks or food

ለጥርስ መክሰስ ወይም ለምግብ የሚኖር ከፍተኛ ፍላጎት

In Practice

"I've got the munchies for some chips."

"Late-night study sessions give me the munchies."

Fluent Tip

Often refers to hunger between meals.

Hangry

/ሃንግሪ/

በርሃብ የተነሳ መቆጣት

Bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger

በርሃብ ምክንያት መቆጣት ወይም መበሳጨት

In Practice

"Don't talk to him right now; he's hangry."

"I get hangry if I skip breakfast."

Fluent Tip

Portmanteau of hungry and angry.

Foodie

/ፉዲ/

ምግብ ወዳድ

A person with a particular interest in food

ለጥሩ ምግብ ልዩ ፍላጎት ያለው ሰው

In Practice

"She's a total foodie and loves trying new restaurants."

"The city is a paradise for foodies."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe food enthusiasts.

Brew

/ብሩ/

ቡና ወይም ሻይ

A cup of tea or coffee, or a beer

አንድ ስኒ ሻይ ወይም ቡና፤ ወይም ቢራ

In Practice

"Do you want a fresh brew?"

"He made a pot of hot brew."

Fluent Tip

Informal term for beverages.

Chow

/ቻው/

ምግብ

Food; to eat

ምግብ፤ መብላት

In Practice

"It's time for some chow."

"They chowed down on the burgers."

Fluent Tip

Informal, often associated with military or camping.

Tea

/ቲ/

ወሬ ወይም ምስጢር

Gossip or juicy information

ወሬ ወይም ጣፋጭ መረጃ

In Practice

"What's the tea on the new chef?"

"Spill the tea about what happened!"

Fluent Tip

Modern slang for gossip.

Salty

/ሶልቲ/

መበሳጨት

Being upset, angry, or bitter

መበሳጨት፣ መቆጣት ወይም መመረር

In Practice

"He's still salty about losing the cooking contest."

"Don't get salty just because I won."

Fluent Tip

Describes a bitter attitude.

Guac

/ጓክ/

አቮካዶ ሰላጣ

Short for guacamole

የጓካሞል አጭር መጠሪያ

In Practice

"I'll have extra guac on my taco."

"The guac costs extra."

Fluent Tip

Common in casual dining.

Whip

/ዊፕ/

መኪና (ወይም ምግብ በፍጥነት መስራት)

In a food context, to mix something rapidly

በምግብ አውድ ውስጥ፣ አንድን ነገር በፍጥነት መቀላቀል

In Practice

"Whip the cream until it's stiff."

"Can you whip some eggs for me?"

Fluent Tip

Technical but used casually.

Grab a bite

/ግራብ ኤ ባይት/

ምግብ መቅመስ

To go and get a quick meal

ሄዶ ፈጣን ምግብ መብላት

In Practice

"Do you want to grab a bite after work?"

"Let's grab a bite before the meeting."

Fluent Tip

Very common for informal invitations.

Fix a meal

/ፊክስ ኤ ሚል/

ምግብ ማዘጋጀት

To prepare or cook a meal

ምግብ ማዘጋጀት ወይም ማብሰል

In Practice

"I'll fix a meal for us tonight."

"Can you fix something quick for lunch?"

Fluent Tip

Commonly used in American English.

Cook up a storm

/ኩክ አፕ ኤ ስቶርም/

በብዛት ማብሰል

To cook a lot of food with great energy

ብዙ ምግብ በከፍተኛ ጉልበት ማብሰል

In Practice

"She was in the kitchen cooking up a storm for Thanksgiving."

"He cooked up a storm for the housewarming party."

Fluent Tip

Describes enthusiastic cooking.

Square meal

/ስኩዌር ሚል/

ጥሩና የተሟላ ምግብ

A solid, complete, and satisfying meal

አጥጋቢ እና የተሟላ ምግብ

In Practice

"He hasn't had a square meal in days."

"The kids need three square meals a day."

Fluent Tip

Refers to a balanced meal.

Whip something together

/ዊፕ ሰምቲንግ ቱጌዘር/

የሆነ ነገር በፍጥነት መስራት

To make something to eat very quickly with available ingredients

ካሉ ነገሮች በፍጥነት የሚበላ ነገር መስራት

In Practice

"I'll whip something together for dinner."

"She whipped together a salad from the leftovers."

Fluent Tip

Informal preparation.

Eat on the go

/ኢት ኦን ዘ ጎ/

በመንገድ ላይ መብላት

To eat while traveling or moving

በጉዞ ላይ እያሉ መብላት

In Practice

"I usually have to eat on the go because I'm busy."

"Fast food is easy to eat on the go."

Fluent Tip

Refers to a busy lifestyle.

Hearty meal

/ሃርቲ ሚል/

አጥጋቢ ምግብ

A large and satisfying meal

ትልቅ እና አጥጋቢ ምግብ

In Practice

"We had a hearty meal of stew and bread."

"A hearty meal is great on a cold day."

Fluent Tip

Used for filling foods.

Home-cooked

/ሆም-ኩክድ/

የቤት ምግብ

Food prepared at home rather than in a restaurant

ከምግብ ቤት ይልቅ ቤት ውስጥ የተዘጋጀ ምግብ

In Practice

"Nothing beats a home-cooked meal."

"She missed her mom's home-cooked dinners."

Fluent Tip

Often implies quality and comfort.

Order in

/ኦርደር ኢን/

ምግብ ማዘዝ

To call a restaurant and have food delivered

ምግብ ቤት ደውሎ ምግብ እንዲመጣ ማዘዝ

In Practice

"I'm too tired to cook; let's order in."

"They ordered in Chinese food for the party."

Fluent Tip

Common in urban areas.

Potluck

/ፖትላክ/

የመዋጮ ግብዣ

A meal where every guest brings a dish to share

እያንዳንዱ እንግዳ የሚበላ ነገር ይዞ የሚመጣበት ግብዣ

In Practice

"We're having a potluck at the office on Friday."

"I brought my famous lasagna to the potluck."

Fluent Tip

Social gathering type.

Leftovers

/ሌፍትኦቨርስ/

የትርፍ ምግብ

Food remaining from a previous meal

ከቀድሞ ምግብ የተረፈ ምግብ

In Practice

"We can have leftovers for lunch tomorrow."

"I love cold pizza leftovers."

Fluent Tip

Standard term for remaining food.

Seconds

/ሰከንድስ/

ድጋሚ መብላት

A second serving of food

ሁለተኛ ዙር የምግብ አገልግሎት

In Practice

"The cake was so good I went back for seconds."

"Does anyone want seconds of the soup?"

Fluent Tip

Used at the dinner table.

Recipe for disaster

/ሬሲፒ ፎር ዲዛስተር/

ለጥፋት የቀረበ

A combination of factors that will lead to a bad result

ለመጥፎ ውጤት የሚያመሩ ነገሮች ጥምረት

In Practice

"Mixing those two chemicals is a recipe for disaster."

"No planning and no money is a recipe for disaster."

Fluent Tip

Figurative use of cooking terms.

Melting pot

/ሜልቲንግ ፖት/

የተለያዩ ነገሮች መገናኛ

A place where different cultures or ideas mix together

የተለያዩ ባህሎች ወይም ሃሳቦች የሚቀላቀሉበት ቦታ

In Practice

"New York City is a great melting pot."

"The university is a melting pot of new ideas."

Fluent Tip

Common in sociology and history.

Life is a bowl of cherries

/ላይፍ ኢዝ ኤ ቦውል ኦቭ ቼሪስ/

ህይወት መልካም ናት

Life is very pleasant and easy

ህይወት በጣም አስደሳች እና ቀላል ናት

In Practice

"Ever since I got the job, life is a bowl of cherries."

"Life isn't always a bowl of cherries, you know."

Fluent Tip

Often used ironically.

Salt of the earth

/ሶልት ኦቭ ዚ ኤርዝ/

በጣም ደግ ሰው

A person who is very kind, honest, and reliable

በጣም ደግ፣ ታማኝ እና ሊታመን የሚችል ሰው

In Practice

"The local farmers are the salt of the earth."

"She is a truly kind person, the salt of the earth."

Fluent Tip

Praising someone's character.

Half-baked idea

/ሃፍ-ቤክድ አይዲያ/

ያልበሰለ ሃሳብ

An idea that has not been properly thought through

በትክክል ያልታሰበበት ሃሳብ

In Practice

"That's a half-baked idea that will never work."

"He presented a half-baked plan to the board."

Fluent Tip

Criticism of a suggestion.

Small potatoes

/ስሞል ፖቴቶስ/

ቀላል ነገር

Something that is insignificant or unimportant

አነስተኛ ወይም አስፈላጊ ያልሆነ ነገር

In Practice

"The fine is small potatoes compared to the profit."

"We have bigger problems; this is small potatoes."

Fluent Tip

Used for comparison.

Sugarcoat

/ሹገርኮት/

አሳምሮ ማቅረብ

To make something bad sound more pleasant

መጥፎ ነገርን ደስ በሚል ሁኔታ ማቅረብ

In Practice

"Don't sugarcoat the truth; tell me what happened."

"The politician tried to sugarcoat the bad news."

Fluent Tip

Refers to deception or softening news.

In the soup

/ኢን ዘ ሱፕ/

ችግር ውስጥ

In a difficult situation or in trouble

በአስቸጋሪ ሁኔታ ወይም በችግር ውስጥ መሆን

In Practice

"If we miss the deadline, we'll be in the soup."

"He's in the soup with his boss again."

Fluent Tip

Informal metaphor for trouble.

Cream of the crop

/ክሪም ኦቭ ዘ ክሮፕ/

ምርጥ ከምርጦች

The very best of a group

ከአንድ ቡድን ውስጥ በጣም ምርጡ

In Practice

"These students are the cream of the crop."

"We only hire the cream of the crop."

Fluent Tip

Refers to top quality.

Bitter pill to swallow

/ቢተር ፒል ቱ ስዋሎው/

ለመቀበል የሚከብድ ነገር

An unpleasant fact that must be accepted

መቀበል ያለብን የማይመች እውነት

In Practice

"Losing the game was a bitter pill to swallow."

"The layoffs were a bitter pill to swallow for the staff."

Fluent Tip

Refers to harsh realities.

Breadwinner

/ብሬድዊነር/

ቤተሰብ አስተዳዳሪ

The person who earns the money for a family

ለቤተሰብ ገንዘብ የሚያገኘው ሰው

In Practice

"He is the primary breadwinner in the family."

"After her father retired, she became the breadwinner."

Fluent Tip

Economic metaphor.

Gravy train

/ግሬቪ ትሬይን/

ቀላል የገቢ ምንጭ

A situation in which someone makes a lot of money for little effort

አንድ ሰው በትንሽ ጥረት ብዙ ገንዘብ የሚያገኝበት ሁኔታ

In Practice

"He's been on the gravy train since he got that contract."

"The project was a gravy train for the consultants."

Fluent Tip

Often used with a negative connotation.

Easy as pie

/ኢዚ አዝ ፓይ/

በጣም ቀላል

Something very easy to do

ለማከናወን በጣም ቀላል የሆነ ነገር

In Practice

"Setting up the TV was easy as pie."

"The puzzle was easy as pie for him."

Fluent Tip

Common comparison for simplicity.

Flat as a pancake

/ፍላት አዝ ኤ ፓንኬክ/

በጣም ጠፍጣፋ

Very flat or level

በጣም ጠፍጣፋ ወይም እኩል

In Practice

"The countryside here is flat as a pancake."

"After the steamroller passed, it was flat as a pancake."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe terrain or objects.

Nutty as a fruitcake

/ናቲ አዝ ኤ ፍሩትኬክ/

በጣም እብድ

Very strange, crazy, or eccentric

በጣም እንግዳ፣ እብድ ወይም የተለየ ጠባይ ያለው

In Practice

"His uncle is nutty as a fruitcake."

"That idea is nutty as a fruitcake."

Fluent Tip

Informal and often humorous.

Like two peas in a pod

/ላይክ ቱ ፒስ ኢን ኤ ፖድ/

በጣም ተመሳይ

Very similar or identical

በጣም ተመሳሳይ ወይም አንድ አይነት

In Practice

"The twins are like two peas in a pod."

"They have been like two peas in a pod since childhood."

Fluent Tip

Used for people who look or act alike.

Selling like hotcakes

/ሴሊንግ ላይክ ሆትኬክስ/

እንደ ቆሎ መሸጥ

Selling very quickly and in large quantities

በጣም በፍጥነት እና በከፍተኛ መጠን መሸጥ

In Practice

"The new iPhones are selling like hotcakes."

"Tickets for the concert sold like hotcakes."

Fluent Tip

Refers to high demand.

Like water for chocolate

/ላይክ ዋተር ፎር ቾኮሌት/

በጣም ተቆጥቶ

To be at a boiling point of emotion, especially anger

በስሜት መላቅ፣ በተለይም በቁጣ መፍላት

In Practice

"She was like water for chocolate after the argument."

"He is like water for chocolate when he is ignored."

Fluent Tip

Describes intense emotion.

Slow as molasses

/ስሎው አዝ ሞላሰስ/

በጣም ዘገምተኛ

Moving very slowly

በጣም ቀስ ብሎ መንቀሳቀስ

In Practice

"The traffic was slow as molasses this morning."

"He is slow as molasses when getting ready."

Fluent Tip

Common in American English.

Red as a beet

/ሬድ አዝ ኤ ቢት/

እንደ ቀይ ስር መቅላት

Turning very red in the face, usually from embarrassment

ብዙውን ጊዜ በማፈር ምክንያት ፊት በጣም መቅላት

In Practice

"She turned red as a beet when she tripped."

"His face was red as a beet in the heat."

Fluent Tip

Describes physical reaction to shame.

Hard as a nut

/ሃርድ አዝ ኤ ናት/

በጣም ጠንካራ

Very tough or difficult to crack/understand

በጣም ጠንካራ ወይም ለመረዳት አስቸጋሪ

In Practice

"The old man was hard as a nut."

"That math problem was hard as a nut."

Fluent Tip

Describes people or problems.

Sour as a lemon

/ሳወር አዝ ኤ ለመን/

በጣም ኮምጣጣ (ወይም መጥፎ ጠባይ)

Extremely sour; or having a bad disposition

በጣም ኮምጣጣ፤ ወይም መጥፎ ጠባይ ያለው

In Practice

"The grapes were sour as a lemon."

"She has been sour as a lemon all day."

Fluent Tip

Can be literal or metaphorical.

Sweet as honey

/ስዊት አዝሃኒ/

እንደ ማር የሚጣፍጥ

Very sweet or very kind

በጣም የሚጣፍጥ ወይም በጣም ደግ

In Practice

"Her voice was sweet as honey."

"He has a child who is sweet as honey."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe taste or personality.

Warm as toast

/ዎርም አዝ ቶስት/

በጣም ሞቅ ያለ

Very comfortably warm

በጣም ደስ የሚል ሙቀት ያለው

In Practice

"I was warm as toast under the blanket."

"The house was warm as toast despite the snow."

Fluent Tip

Refers to comfort.

Food for thought

/ፉድ ፎር ዞት/

የሚያስተነትን ነገር

Something to think about seriously

በትኩረት ሊታሰብበት የሚገባ ነገር

In Practice

"The documentary gave us food for thought."

"His suggestion is certainly food for thought."

Fluent Tip

Common in discussions.

Variety is the spice of life

/ቫራይቲ ኢዝ ዘ ስፓይስ ኦቭ ላይፍ/

ልዩነት ለህይወት ጣዕም ይሰጣል

New and different experiences make life interesting

አዳዲስ እና የተለያዩ ልምዶች ህይወትን ሳቢ ያደርጋሉ

In Practice

"I like trying new hobbies because variety is the spice of life."

"Traveling shows that variety is the spice of life."

Fluent Tip

Encouraging change.

Best thing since sliced bread

/ቤስት ቲንግ ሲንስ ስላይስድ ብሬድ/

በጣም ድንቅ ፈጠራ

A very good invention or idea

በጣም ጥሩ ፈጠራ ወይም ሃሳብ

In Practice

"This new app is the best thing since sliced bread."

"He thinks his new car is the best thing since sliced bread."

Fluent Tip

Overused praise for innovation.

Too much on my plate

/ቱ ማች ኦን ማይ ፕሌት/

ከአቅም በላይ ስራ

Being too busy with many tasks

በብዙ ስራዎች በጣም መጠመድ

In Practice

"I can't take on more work; I have too much on my plate."

"With the kids and the job, she has too much on her plate."

Fluent Tip

Common in workplace settings.

Proof is in the pudding

/ፕሩፍ ኢዝ ኢን ዘ ፑዲንግ/

ውጤቱ በተግባር ይታያል

The real value of something can only be judged from experience

የአንድ ነገር እውነተኛ ዋጋ ሊታወቅ የሚችለው ከተሞክሮ ነው

In Practice

"He says he's fast, but the proof is in the pudding."

"The proof is in the pudding when we see the final sales."

Fluent Tip

Focuses on results.

Half-baked

/ሃፍ-ቤክድ/

ያልተሟላ

Not fully thought through or planned

ሙሉ በሙሉ ያልታሰበበት ወይም ያልታቀደ

In Practice

"It was a half-baked scheme to make money."

"I don't want to hear any more half-baked excuses."

Fluent Tip

Derogatory term for plans.

Sour grapes

/ሳወር ግሬፕስ/

ሊያገኙት ያልቻሉትን ነገር ማጣጣል

Pretending to dislike something because you can't have it

ሊያገኙት ስላልቻሉ አንድን ነገር እንደማይፈልጉ ማስመሰል

In Practice

"He said the prize was ugly, but it's just sour grapes."

"Her criticism of the promotion sounds like sour grapes."

Fluent Tip

Refers to jealousy.

Take the cake

/ቴክ ዘ ኬክ/

ከሁሉ የከፋ ወይም የተለየ

To be the most remarkable or the worst example of something

የአንድ ነገር በጣም አስደናቂ ወይም በጣም መጥፎ ምሳሌ መሆን

In Practice

"I've seen bad drivers, but he takes the cake."

"That excuse really takes the cake."

Fluent Tip

Expressing disbelief.

Upper crust

/አፐር ክረስት/

ከፍተኛ የህብረተሰብ ክፍል

The highest social class

ከፍተኛው የህብረተሰብ ክፍል

In Practice

"She belongs to the local upper crust."

"The party was full of the city's upper crust."

Fluent Tip

Refers to wealth/status.

Worth your salt

/ዎርዝ ዩር ሶልት/

ብቁ መሆን

Deserving the pay or position you have

ለሚከፈልዎት ክፍያ ወይም ለያዙት ቦታ ብቁ መሆን

In Practice

"Any doctor worth his salt would know that."

"A teacher worth her salt cares about her students."

Fluent Tip

Praising competence.

Finger in every pie

/ፊንገር ኢን ኤቭሪ ፓይ/

በሁሉም ነገር ጣልቃ መግባት

Being involved in many different activities

በብዙ የተለያዩ እንቅስቃሴዎች ውስጥ መሳተፍ

In Practice

"He has a finger in every pie in the local government."

"She's so busy; she has a finger in every pie."

Fluent Tip

Can be positive or negative.

Tough cookie

/ታፍ ኩኪ/

ጠንካራ ሰው

A strong, determined person

ጠንካራ እና ቆራጥ ሰው

In Practice

"She had a hard life, but she's one tough cookie."

"Don't worry about him; he's a tough cookie."

Fluent Tip

Used to describe resilience.