To be cooking: To be on the right track,to be making very good progress, to be on a roll with ideas.
To cost an arm and a leg: To be very expensive.
To break something down: To divide something into smaller parts in order to explain it or understand it more easily.
Step by step: One piece or part at a time, little by little.
Out of this world: Outstanding, incredibly good.
Tricks of the trade: Information that experienced people in afield know that makes their work easier or the product of their labor of a better quality.
From scratch: Homemade, by hand,from basic rather thanprepackaged ingredients.
Top-notch: Of the highest quality.
To dream up: To invent or conceive of.
Zip: Spiciness, flavor, tanginess. Not usually used with reference to sweet foods. Note that zing, bite, and kick are all used tomean the same thing.
To stick to the ribs: To be filling. To be substantial.
To weigh someone down: To make someone feel slow or tired. Said of something experienced as a weight—emotional,physical, psychological, etc
To come upon: To discover by accident.
To come up with: To create something original.
Something to die for: Something that is amazing or great.
To lend a hand: To help. Notice that “a hand” can be used tomean “help” in other expressions—to offer a hand, to ask for a hand, to need a hand, etc.
To give it your best shot: To try the best that you can.
The proof is in the pudding: A saying that means that the true measure of how good something is can only be judged once it is made or done.
In the nick of time: Just in time, with no extra time to spare.
To lay out: To arrange in a flat position, to spread out.
Something to sink your teeth into: Something of substance or depth. Also used in reference to non-food items.
The devil’s in the details: A saying that means that changes in seemingly small or minor elements can make a big difference in the outcome.
The secret’s in the sauce: A saying that means that the secret that makes something special or valuable is hidden or not immediately visible.
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