Thanksgiving is a special holiday when families and friends come together to share a meal and give thanks for what they have. It is a time filled with warmth, kindness, and celebration. People often use fun and interesting phrases called idioms to talk about Thanksgiving. Idioms are groups of words that have a different meaning than the words alone. They help make conversations and stories more colorful and exciting.
In this article, you will learn about some common idioms related to Thanksgiving. These idioms show ideas about gratitude, food, and the holiday spirit. Knowing these phrases can help you understand stories and talk about Thanksgiving in a lively way. Let’s explore these idioms and see how they are used in sentences that you can easily understand.
Idioms about Thanksgiving
1. Turkey day
Meaning: A fun way to say Thanksgiving Day.
Samples: We are excited for Turkey Day this year. / On Turkey Day, we eat lots of food.
To Put it Another Way: Thanksgiving is called Turkey Day. / It’s the day we enjoy turkey and family.
2. Stuffed to the gills
Meaning: Feeling very full after eating a big meal.
Samples: After dinner, I was stuffed to the gills. / She ate so much pie, she was stuffed to the gills.
To Put it Another Way: I ate a lot and felt very full. / My tummy was so full I could not eat more.
3. Bring home the bacon
Meaning: To earn money or provide for your family.
Samples: Dad works hard to bring home the bacon. / Mom brings home the bacon by her job.
To Put it Another Way: Someone who helps their family by earning money. / They take care of their family with money they make.
4. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that cannot be changed.
Samples: Don’t cry over spilled milk if the turkey is late. / We missed the parade, but no use crying over spilled milk.
To Put it Another Way: Don’t be sad about things you can’t fix. / It’s better to move on from small mistakes.
5. Full plate
Meaning: Having many tasks or things to do.
Samples: I have a full plate getting ready for Thanksgiving. / She has a full plate with cooking and cleaning.
To Put it Another Way: Lots of things to do at once. / Being very busy with many jobs.
6. Piece of pie
Meaning: Something easy or enjoyable.
Samples: Baking the pumpkin pie was a piece of pie. / Cleaning up after dinner was a piece of pie.
To Put it Another Way: Something simple to do. / An easy or fun task.
7. Gobble up
Meaning: To eat quickly and eagerly.
Samples: The kids gobbled up their turkey. / We all gobbled up the delicious stuffing.
To Put it Another Way: Eat fast because the food is tasty. / Enjoy food by eating it quickly.
8. Pass the gravy
Meaning: To ask for help or share something.
Samples: Can you pass the gravy, please? / Everyone at the table passed the gravy bowl.
To Put it Another Way: Sharing food or asking for help. / Giving something to someone else.
9. Count your blessings
Meaning: Be thankful for the good things in life.
Samples: At Thanksgiving, we count our blessings. / Even if it’s cold, I count my blessings for my family.
To Put it Another Way: Think about what makes you happy and thankful. / Remember good things you have.
10. Eat like a bird
Meaning: To eat very little.
Samples: He ate like a bird at the big Thanksgiving dinner. / My sister eats like a bird when there is pie.
To Put it Another Way: Eat only a small amount. / Not eating much at all.
11. Bring to the table
Meaning: To offer something useful or important.
Samples: Everyone brings something to the table for Thanksgiving. / She brings kindness and fun to the table.
To Put it Another Way: Share or add something valuable. / Give something helpful to the group.
12. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: To try to do too much at once.
Samples: I bit off more than I could chew by cooking three dishes. / Don’t bite off more than you can chew with holiday chores.
To Put it Another Way: Take on too many tasks. / Try doing more than you can handle.
13. Make a meal out of it
Meaning: To spend a lot of time or effort on something small.
Samples: Mom made a meal out of the pumpkin pie recipe. / Don’t make a meal out of cleaning the kitchen.
To Put it Another Way: Spend too much time on a small job. / Make something seem bigger than it is.
14. Butter someone up
Meaning: To be extra nice to someone to get a favor.
Samples: I buttered up Grandma to get an extra slice of pie. / He buttered up his teacher before Thanksgiving break.
To Put it Another Way: Be very kind to get help. / Try to please someone to get something.
15. Talk turkey
Meaning: To discuss something seriously.
Samples: Let’s talk turkey about the holiday plans. / The family talked turkey before dinner.
To Put it Another Way: Have a serious talk. / Discuss important things clearly.
16. Leftovers
Meaning: Food saved to eat later after a big meal.
Samples: We ate turkey sandwiches made from leftovers. / Grandma loves the Thanksgiving leftovers.
To Put it Another Way: Food saved for another time. / Extra food from a meal.
17. Hard nut to crack
Meaning: A difficult problem or person to understand.
Samples: Cooking the turkey was a hard nut to crack. / Grandpa is a hard nut to crack when he tells stories.
To Put it Another Way: Something tough to figure out. / A person who is hard to know.
18. Take with a grain of salt
Meaning: Don’t believe everything you hear completely.
Samples: Take his story about the turkey with a grain of salt. / We take old family tales with a grain of salt.
To Put it Another Way: Be a little doubtful. / Don’t fully trust what someone says.
19. Sweeten the pot
Meaning: To add something extra to make a deal or situation better.
Samples: Mom sweetened the pot by baking extra pies. / We sweetened the pot with extra dessert.
To Put it Another Way: Add something nice to make things better. / Make an offer more tempting.
20. Feather your nest
Meaning: To make your home comfortable or cozy.
Samples: We feather our nest by decorating for Thanksgiving. / Grandma likes to feather her nest with warm blankets.
To Put it Another Way: Make your home nice and comfy. / Add things that make a place cozy.
21. The proof is in the pudding
Meaning: You can only know the result after trying something.
Samples: We won’t know if the pie is good until we try it. The proof is in the pudding. / The proof is in the pudding when it comes to cooking.
To Put it Another Way: You have to try something to see how it works. / Results matter more than plans.
22. Bite the hand that feeds you
Meaning: To hurt someone who helps you.
Samples: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you by being rude at Thanksgiving. / It’s bad to bite the hand that feeds you.
To Put it Another Way: Don’t be ungrateful to someone who helps you. / Be kind to those who support you.
23. Cry wolf
Meaning: To ask for help when you don’t really need it.
Samples: Don’t cry wolf about the turkey being burned. / He cried wolf so many times that no one believed him.
To Put it Another Way: Say there’s a problem when there isn’t one. / Ask for help too often without real need.
24. Eat humble pie
Meaning: To admit you were wrong and say sorry.
Samples: I had to eat humble pie when I forgot the pie crust. / Sometimes we eat humble pie when things go wrong.
To Put it Another Way: Say sorry and admit a mistake. / Admit you were wrong and feel sorry.
25. Have your cake and eat it too
Meaning: Wanting two things that usually do not go together.
Samples: You can’t have your cake and eat it too by wanting dessert before dinner. / He wanted to play and finish homework too—can’t have your cake and eat it too.
To Put it Another Way: Want two things at once that don’t match. / Try to get more than possible.
26. Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Meaning: Going from a bad situation to a worse one.
Samples: We fixed one problem with the turkey but then had another—out of the frying pan into the fire. / The cooking was tricky—sometimes out of the frying pan and into the fire.
To Put it Another Way: Move from trouble to more trouble. / Things get worse instead of better.
27. Piece of cake
Meaning: Something very easy to do.
Samples: Making mashed potatoes was a piece of cake. / Cleaning up was a piece of cake after the meal.
To Put it Another Way: Very easy task. / Something done without trouble.
28. Salt of the earth
Meaning: A good and honest person.
Samples: Grandma is the salt of the earth. / Our neighbor is salt of the earth and helps everyone.
To Put it Another Way: A kind and honest person. / Someone you can trust and like.
29. In a nutshell
Meaning: To say something in a short and clear way.
Samples: In a nutshell, Thanksgiving is about being thankful. / In a nutshell, we enjoy food and family.
To Put it Another Way: To explain quickly and simply. / Say something in few words.
30. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To do something hard but necessary.
Samples: I had to bite the bullet and clean the dishes after dinner. / Sometimes you bite the bullet and finish your homework first.
To Put it Another Way: Do a hard job because it must be done. / Face something difficult bravely.
Find the Topics: Idioms about Thanksgiving
It was Thanksgiving morning, and Emma’s family was busy getting ready for Turkey Day. Mom was cooking the big turkey, and everyone was hoping not to be stuffed to the gills by dinner time. Emma helped by setting the table and reminding everyone to pass the gravy when the food was ready.
At school, Emma told her friends to count their blessings. She said, “Even if you don’t get everything you want, remember to be thankful.” After lunch, her brother joked that he was going to gobble up all the pumpkin pie.
Later, Emma tried not to bite off more than she could chew by volunteering to clean and help with the dessert. She knew it was important not to take on too much and to enjoy the holiday.
When the day ended, her grandma said, “Don’t cry over spilled milk if something doesn’t go right. Just have fun.” Emma smiled and agreed it was the best advice for Thanksgiving.
Question:
Can you underline or list the 8 idioms you found in the story?
Answer Key
- Turkey Day
- Stuffed to the gills
- Pass the gravy
- Count your blessings
- Gobble up
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Cry over spilled milk
Conclusion
Idioms about Thanksgiving help us talk about the holiday in fun and meaningful ways. They make stories more lively and help us share our feelings about family, food, and thankfulness. By learning these phrases, you can better understand conversations and enjoy talking about Thanksgiving with others.
