Eating and drinking – C1 English Vocabulary

Eating and drinking

Exercise 3

Complete the passage using words from the box. You can use each option ONLY ONCE.

digging – food additives – gone off – guzzling – hearty meal – perishable food – polished off – spoil my appetite – square – tuck into

Please wait...

It was late Friday night. After a long commute in the rain, I arrived home cold, wet, and extremely tired. Not wanting to 1 before dinner, I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime. As a result, I was now absolutely starving and becoming grumpier by the second. All I could think about was 2 into a 3 and 4 a cold beer.

However, when I tried to turn on the lights, nothing happened. I realised there was a power cut, as all the lights on the street were out. Knowing there was little I could do about this, I made my way to the kitchen, using the torch on my phone to guide me.

Desperate to satisfy my hunger, I headed straight to the fridge. But when I opened the door, I was met with a terrible smell. Because of the power cut, all the 5 had 6 . This meant I had to throw away nearly everything inside.

With nothing left in the fridge to 7 , I had to make do with some old chocolate biscuits. Although I usually try to eat healthily and avoid 8 , I was too hungry to care. In fact, I 9 the whole packet in seconds, leaving only a few crumbs on the table. Not quite the 10 meal I’d hoped for, but it would have to do for now.

 Loading...

 

Eating and drinking

In this Advanced Vocabulary lesson on Eating and Drinking, you will learn advanced verbs, phrasal verbs, and common collocations used to describe eating habits, attitudes to food, and social meals. The pictures, definitions, and examples below will help you understand and remember the terms and use them naturally in context.

Verbs and phrasal verbs

1 If you devour food, you eat it very quickly and eagerly.

• After the race, he devoured a huge plate of pasta in minutes.

2 To guzzle something means to eat or drink it in large amounts, often too quickly.

• She guzzled two glasses of water as soon as she sat down.

3 If you wolf down food, you eat it very fast, often without enjoying it.

• He wolfed down his lunch and rushed back to work.

4 To polish off food means to finish it completely.

• She polished off the last slice of cake without hesitation.

5 If you overdo it, you eat or drink more than is sensible.

• I enjoyed the dessert, but I think I overdid it a bit.

6 To nibble means to eat small amounts of food slowly.

• She nibbled at her food like a little squirrel.

7 When you dig in, you start eating with enthusiasm.

• Everything was ready, so we were told to dig in.

8 To tuck into food means to eat with enthusiasm.

• They tucked into a generous Sunday lunch.

9 If you pick at food, you eat very little of it.

• She just picked at her food and left most of it untouched.

10 To put away food means to eat a large amount of it.

• He can put away an entire pizza on his own.

11 If you live on a particular food, you eat it very often.

• During exams, he practically lived on instant noodles.

12 When food goes off, it is no longer safe or pleasant to eat.

• This milk smells strange; I think it’s gone off.

Collocations and fixed expressions

13 A hearty meal or hearty breakfast is large and filling.

• After a long walk, we sat down to a hearty meal.

14 A square meal is a complete and satisfying meal.

• He hadn’t had a square meal all day.

15 Food additives are substances added to food to preserve it or improve flavour or appearance.

• Some people try to avoid products containing artificial food additives.

16 Perishable food is food that goes bad quickly.

• Make sure perishable food is kept in the fridge.

17 Dietary requirements are special food needs or restrictions.

• Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements.

18 If you have a sweet tooth, you enjoy sugary food.

• I’m trying to eat less sugar, but I really have a sweet tooth.

19 To take pot luck means to accept whatever food is available, without choosing (British English). In American English, potluck is a noun referring to a shared meal where each guest brings a dish.

• There’s no menu tonight, so we’ll just take pot luck.
• We’re having a potluck dinner, so everyone is bringing something to share.

20 If something spoils your appetite, it reduces your desire to eat.

• Too many snacks beforehand can spoil your appetite.

After completing the exercises in this lesson on Eating and Drinking, you can use the unit’s Vocabulary Flashcards to revise and help you memorize the terms.