Thanksgiving is a holiday when families and friends come together to share food and give thanks. People eat turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie. Some watch parades or football. But did you know there are also special sayings used around this time? These sayings are called idioms. They don’t mean exactly what the words say, but they help people talk about feelings, actions, or traditions in fun ways.
Idioms can make your writing or talking more colorful. For example, if someone says “talking turkey,” they don’t mean having a chat with a bird. It means speaking honestly. In this article, we will learn some Thanksgiving idioms, what they mean, and how to use them. You will also get a short quiz to check what you remember. Let’s get started.
Idioms about Thanksgiving
1. Talk turkey
Meaning: To speak seriously, often about business or plans.
For Example: Let’s talk turkey about who’s bringing what to dinner. / Dad said it was time to talk turkey about holiday spending.
Alternatively: Have a real talk / Be honest
2. Stuffed to the gills
Meaning: Extremely full from eating.
For Example: I was stuffed to the gills after Thanksgiving dinner. / She couldn’t eat dessert because she was stuffed to the gills.
Alternatively: Very full / Ate too much
3. Count your blessings
Meaning: Be thankful for what you have.
For Example: On Thanksgiving, we count our blessings at the dinner table. / Even without pie, I still count my blessings.
Alternatively: Be thankful / Appreciate what you have
4. Gobble up
Meaning: To eat something quickly.
For Example: He gobbled up his turkey so fast! / The kids gobbled up all the mashed potatoes.
Alternatively: Eat fast / Devour
5. Like herding turkeys
Meaning: Hard to manage a group, especially when everyone is moving around.
For Example: Getting my cousins to line up for dinner was like herding turkeys. / Taking the class on a field trip felt like herding turkeys.
Alternatively: Very tricky / Hard to control
6. Turkey trot
Meaning: A fun walk or race that happens on or near Thanksgiving.
For Example: We do a turkey trot every Thanksgiving morning. / My town holds a turkey trot to raise money for food banks.
Alternatively: Holiday run / Thanksgiving race
7. Carve out time
Meaning: Make time in a busy schedule.
For Example: We carved out time to visit Grandma. / Mom carved out time to bake pies with us.
Alternatively: Set aside time / Make time
8. Cold turkey
Meaning: To stop doing something suddenly.
For Example: He quit soda cold turkey before Thanksgiving. / She stopped playing video games cold turkey.
Alternatively: Quit right away / Stop suddenly
9. Cornucopia of…
Meaning: A large variety of something.
For Example: The table had a cornucopia of food. / The parade had a cornucopia of floats and bands.
Alternatively: A lot of / Many kinds
10. Feast your eyes
Meaning: Look at something wonderful.
For Example: Feast your eyes on this pie! / We feasted our eyes on the big Thanksgiving table.
Alternatively: Enjoy the view / Look closely
11. Gravy train
Meaning: An easy and good situation, often with benefits.
For Example: Helping with dishes means riding the gravy train to extra dessert. / Uncle Joe says retirement is the gravy train.
Alternatively: Easy win / Good deal
12. Gobble like a turkey
Meaning: To laugh or talk in a silly way.
For Example: He gobbled like a turkey during the Thanksgiving play. / We couldn’t stop laughing when she gobbled like a turkey.
Alternatively: Be goofy / Make funny sounds
13. Talk stuffing
Meaning: Chat about personal things or what’s going on.
For Example: We talked stuffing while cooking together. / Grandma loves to talk stuffing about old times.
Alternatively: Catch up / Have a friendly talk
14. Pumpkin spice everything
Meaning: When everything is flavored with pumpkin spice in fall.
For Example: I love pumpkin spice everything in November. / Even the soap smelled like pumpkin spice everything!
Alternatively: Fall flavor craze / Everything tastes like pumpkin
15. Bring home the turkey
Meaning: Do something important or win something.
For Example: He brought home the turkey by winning the pie contest. / Mom brought home the turkey by cooking all the food.
Alternatively: Succeed / Win big
16. Pass the gravy
Meaning: Share something good.
For Example: Pass the gravy and the jokes at dinner! / At Thanksgiving, we pass the gravy and the love.
Alternatively: Share joy / Give something nice
17. Stuffed like a turkey
Meaning: Feeling very full after eating.
For Example: After two helpings, I felt stuffed like a turkey. / She lay on the couch, stuffed like a turkey.
Alternatively: Overfull / Ate too much
18. Leftovers for days
Meaning: So much food is left, it lasts a long time.
For Example: We had leftovers for days after the feast. / Dad said turkey sandwiches would be our lunch all week leftovers for days!
Alternatively: Extra food / Lots left
19. Put all your cranberries in one basket
Meaning: Take a big risk by depending on one thing.
For Example: Don’t put all your cranberries in one basket with just one pie recipe! / She put all her cranberries in one basket by trusting her brother to cook.
Alternatively: Risk everything / Don’t depend on one thing
20. Turkey hangover
Meaning: Feeling tired after eating too much.
For Example: I had a turkey hangover and needed a nap. / We all had turkey hangovers by 4 p.m.
Alternatively: Food tiredness / Sleepy from eating
21. Break the wishbone
Meaning: To try for good luck or make a wish.
For Example: My sister and I break the wishbone every Thanksgiving. / Whoever breaks the wishbone gets to make a wish.
Alternatively: Try your luck / Make a wish
22. All the trimmings
Meaning: All the extras that come with something.
For Example: Our Thanksgiving dinner had all the trimmings stuffing, gravy, and pie. / He ordered a turkey sandwich with all the trimmings.
Alternatively: Everything included / Extras
23. Full plate
Meaning: To have a lot to do.
For Example: Mom had a full plate getting everything ready. / I have a full plate helping with decorations.
Alternatively: Very busy / Lots of tasks
24. Pie in the sky
Meaning: A dream that might not come true.
For Example: Thinking I’ll eat five slices of pie is just pie in the sky. / Her idea of a turkey-flavored cake was pie in the sky.
Alternatively: Unreal idea / Silly hope
25. Cook up a storm
Meaning: To cook a lot of food.
For Example: Grandma cooked up a storm for Thanksgiving. / We cooked up a storm and filled the whole kitchen.
Alternatively: Make a big meal / Cook a lot
26. Eat like a bird
Meaning: To eat very little.
For Example: She eats like a bird, even on Thanksgiving. / I ate like a bird because I wanted to save room for pie.
Alternatively: Eat a little / Small appetite
27. Couch potato
Meaning: Someone who sits and watches TV a lot.
For Example: After dinner, Dad became a couch potato during football. / We were couch potatoes all afternoon.
Alternatively: Lazy watcher / TV sitter
28. Bake the world a better place
Meaning: To make others happy with food.
For Example: She bakes the world a better place with her pumpkin pie. / He said baking the world a better place starts with cookies.
Alternatively: Make people happy with treats
29. Butter someone up
Meaning: Be extra nice to get something.
For Example: I buttered up my aunt to get a second slice of pie. / He’s buttering up Mom so he doesn’t have to wash dishes.
Alternatively: Be sweet to get your way
30. Gobble till you wobble
Meaning: Eat so much you can hardly walk.
For Example: We gobbled till we wobbled after dinner. / Don’t gobble till you wobble or you’ll need a nap!
Alternatively: Eat a lot / Be super full
31. Dig in
Meaning: Start eating right away.
For Example: After the prayer, everyone dug in. / Dad said, “Dig in, kids!” as he passed the rolls.
Alternatively: Start eating / Begin the meal
32. Pass the potatoes
Meaning: To share or give something to someone.
For Example: Pass the potatoes, please. / We passed the potatoes and stories around the table.
Alternatively: Share / Give to others
33. On the gravy train
Meaning: Living easy or getting something without much work.
For Example: After dessert, I felt like I was on the gravy train. / He said he’s on the gravy train with leftovers every night.
Alternatively: Easy life / Good times
34. Cook someone’s goose
Meaning: Ruin someone’s plan.
For Example: Forgetting to thaw the turkey cooked Mom’s goose. / He cooked his goose by spilling the cranberry sauce.
Alternatively: Mess things up / Ruin a chance
35. Eat humble pie
Meaning: Admit you were wrong.
For Example: I had to eat humble pie after saying the pie was store-bought but it wasn’t. / She ate humble pie when the stuffing turned out great.
Alternatively: Say sorry / Admit mistake
36. Burn the turkey
Meaning: Mess something up badly.
For Example: He burned the turkey and we had pizza. / Don’t burn the turkey like last year!
Alternatively: Mess up / Fail at something
37. Second helping
Meaning: Another serving of food.
For Example: I had a second helping of mashed potatoes. / She asked for a second helping of pie.
Alternatively: More food / Eat again
38. Have your plate full
Meaning: To be very busy.
For Example: Dad had his plate full cooking and cleaning. / I have my plate full with school and setting the table.
Alternatively: Very busy / Lots to do
39. The icing on the pie
Meaning: Something that makes a good thing even better.
For Example: Winning the board game was the icing on the pie after dinner. / The apple pie was the icing on the pie for a great day.
Alternatively: Final treat / Best part
40. Give thanks
Meaning: To be grateful.
For Example: We give thanks for our family every year. / Giving thanks is what Thanksgiving is all about.
Alternatively: Say thank you / Feel grateful
True/False Quiz – Idioms About Thanksgiving
1. If someone is “stuffed to the gills,” it means they are still hungry.
True / False
2. “Talk turkey” means having a serious or honest conversation.
True / False
3. Saying “couch potato” describes someone who runs a lot during Thanksgiving.
True / False
4. If you “gobble like a turkey,” you are making silly or funny sounds.
True / False
5. “Give thanks” means to complain about what you don’t have.
True / False
6. If you have “leftovers for days,” it means the food is all gone.
True / False
7. “Carve out time” means to avoid doing chores.
True / False
8. If someone says “pass the gravy,” they might be asking to share something good.
True / False
9. “Gobble till you wobble” means eating just a little food.
True / False
10. “Eat humble pie” means to admit you were wrong.
True / False
Answer Key
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
Scoring Guide
- 10 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 7–9 Correct Answers: You really get Idioms nice work!
- 4–6 Correct Answers: You’re learning keep going!
- 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about Idioms together!
Conclusion
Thanksgiving is a time for food, family, and feeling thankful. It’s also a time when we use fun and colorful sayings to talk about our experiences. Idioms help us share how we feel or what we’re doing in a fun way.
By learning these Thanksgiving idioms, you’ll be able to understand others better and speak in a more playful and creative way. Keep listening for them and try using them at your next Thanksgiving meal. They can help make your words more fun and full of meaning.
