Finn: Hello, I'm Finn and you're listening to Question and Answer of the Week from BBC Learning English.
Li: Well you sounded very energetic, 精神抖擞，充满活力full of beans! 大家好，我是杨莉。
Finn: Full of beans. Yes, well done Li. That's one of the food-related idioms that we are going to explore today. But first let's listen to the question from Jin Lu:
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My name is Jin Lu and I have a question for the BBC producers. I've heard British people say a lot of phrases about food like 'this is not my cup of tea,' or 'oh, it's just a piece of cake.' So I think that is quite interesting. So can you tell me more phrases that are related to food?
Li: That's a very interesting question from Jin Lu. By the way she was the top prize winner of the 21st Century English Speaking Competition in 2010.
Finn: No wonder her English is so good! Jin Lu is right in that food does play a big role in the English language and people use food idioms all the time.
Li: That's right. Listen to the dialogue between Kaz and Katie, our colleagues, to see how many food-related idioms they use.
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-What are you doing tonight?
-I'm going to the Royal Opera House with my daughter Molly, she's acquired a bit of a taste for opera.
-That's nice. I know Molly is the apple of your eye. How is she doing? Engaged?
-Yes. She's getting married next month, in fact.
-Congratulations! What does her fiancé do?
-They both work in the same PR company. He's the marketing manager.
-Sounds like he's a big cheese.
-He's doing alright. Whereas Molly, well, she's just small fry, but she doesn't mind.
-She's a homemaker, isn't she?
-Yeah. She wants to have lots of kids and to make her home as warm as toast. You know I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to give up working and let her husband bring home the bacon.
Finn: That was a dialogue between Kaz and Katie about Kaz's daughter Molly and her fiancé. What did we hear and what did we learn?
Li: First the expression 'to acquire a taste for something'. Molly has acquired a taste for opera.
Finn: This means that she has developed a liking for, or an interest in, opera. 获得了对歌剧的品位。I have acquired a taste for Chinese food,Li.
Li: You must be joking, Finn; don't you always love Chinese food and the Chinese language?
Finn: And Chinese language, yes, that's right.
Li: Then we heard the idiom 'the apple of her father’s eye' 父亲的掌上明珠。Actually there is another famous apple idiom, which is…
Finn: 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away'. 天天吃苹果不用请大夫。
Li: Good advice. Then we learned that Molly's fiancé is a marketing manager - someone important.
Finn: Yes, he is a big cheese! 重要人物, 领导。
Li: 相对的就是 small fry 无名小卒。We are both small fry in a big organisation, aren't we?
Finn: Well, it's a job that enables me to bring home the bacon 让我能够养家糊口。
Li: Mmm… I love bacon, yummy… Well, talking about bacon there is another bacon idiom I quite like: 'to save someone's bacon'.
Finn: To save someone's bacon means to help someone out of a difficult problem 从困境中解救出来。
Li: Remember I saved your bacon when you nearly forgot to take your passport before heading for the airport?
Finn: I thought it was the other way round, wasn't it Li? You were the one who forgot it!
Li: I'm kidding, yes, you did remind me.
Finn: But don't forget there is one more idiom in the dialogue that we have not yet explained …
Li: No, I haven't, because I always make my home as warm as toast 总是把家整得很温暖。
Finn: Yes, as warm as toast. Let's listen to the whole conversation once again.
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-What are you doing tonight?
-I'm going to the Royal Opera House with my daughter Molly, she's acquired a bit of a taste for opera.
-That's nice. I know Molly is the apple of your eye. How is she doing? Engaged?
-Yes. She's getting married next month, in fact.
-Congratulations! What does her fiancé do?
-They both work in the same PR company. He's the marketing manager.
-Sounds like he's a big cheese.
-He's doing alright. Whereas Molly, well, she's just small fry, but she doesn't mind.
-She's a homemaker, isn't she?
-Yeah. She wants to have lots of kids and to make her home as warm as toast. You know I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to give up working and let her husband bring home the bacon.
Li: Well, Chinese speakers might wonder why you use the word toast, not pancake or a steamed bun?
Finn: Well, that's because a lot of the English food idioms are based on British food and cuisine.
Li: Of course, you are right. 面包对英国人来说是基本主食之一，大多数英国人早上都习惯吃烤面包片as warm as toast.
Finn: On the other hand, tea and rice are essential to the Chinese diet so for example, you have 粗茶淡饭，对吧?
Li: Yes you're right. But I'm afraid that we have to come back next week and discuss more of the food idioms in the English language.
Finn: Let's do that. Thanks for listening and bye.