James Baquet

    Becky and her classmate Lily have been chatting in the common room of their dorm.

    Becky: ... so that’s it in a nutshell.

    Lily: Pardon? What’s that about nuts?

    Becky: Nothing about nuts, Lily. I said that was the story “in a nutshell.”

    Lily: I don’t know what that means.

    Becky: We use that expression to refer to the short version of something. Like, no more words than can fit in the shell of a nut.

    Lily: Is that even possible?

    Becky: Believe it or not, the expression comes from a Roman named Pliny, who reported that there was a complete version of Homer’s “Iliad” written so small that it fit in a nutshell.

    Lily: Impossible!

    Becky: You would think! But someone tried it in the early 1700s and he did it!

    Lily: His handwriting must have been really small.

    Becky: Probably!

    Lily: Are there other food idioms like that?

    Becky: Sure! One is about another kind of shells: eggshells.

    Lily: They’re pretty fragile.

    Becky: Yes, that’s exactly the point. To say that one is “walking on eggshells” means one is being very careful about what one says, trying not to upset someone.

    Lily: Like, when our teacher is in a bad mood, everyone walks on eggshells when they talk to him.

    Becky: Right. Here’s another: “easy as pie.”

    Lily: Yeah, I don’t get that. I’ve tried to bake a pie, and it’s really hard!

    Becky: Yeah, but have you ever tried to eat a pie? That’s easy!

    Lily: Oh, you’re right! Any other food and drink idioms?

    Becky: Well, do you like tea?

    Lily: Of course!

    Becky: All tea?

    Lily: No, some kinds of tea are better than others.

    Becky: Right. So if you didn’t like a particular one, you could say, “That’s not my cup of tea.”

    Lily: And?

    Becky: We can say the same thing about anything — or anyone. So if I asked, “Would you like to go out with Ming?” you could say...

    Lily: “He’s a nice guy, but he’s not my cup of tea.”

    Becky: Perfect! Here’s another: Can you guess what “to spill the beans” means?

    Lily: Maybe to make a mistake?

    Becky: It actually means to accidentally tell someone something that was supposed to be a secret.

    Lily: Why?

    Becky: Long ago, votes were held by placing black or white beans into a bag. If the bag was spilled, the results of the vote would be revealed prematurely.

    Lily: Got it. Can you tell me one more, quickly? Then I have to go.

    Becky: How about this: We call an important person a “big cheese.”

    Lily: Actually, I’m heading off to a meeting with the school’s president. He’s a REAL big cheese!