food for thought
/ˌfuːd fə ˈθɔːt/NEUTRAL · B2
Meaning
an idea that is worth considering seriously
Examples
- 1The documentary about plastic in the sea gave me plenty of food for thought.
- 2Thanks for the feedback on my essay — it's real food for thought.
- 3The survey on how teenagers sleep was food for thought for many parents.
- 4Did the careers talk give you food for thought, or was it just boring?
- 5Your comment about how we spend our weekends has given me food for thought.
Grammar
Uncountable: no a before food. Often after give someone, plenty of or real.
More idioms about food
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →in a nutshellvery briefly, giving only the main pointsthe icing on the cakesomething extra that makes a good situation even bettersell like hot cakesto be bought quickly by a lot of peoplewalk on eggshellsto be very careful not to upset someonemake your mouth waterto create a strong desire to eat through the sight, smell or thought of foodput all your eggs in one basketto rely completely on a single plan or chance
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
Here you get a couple of questions. The app gives you 16 practice modes, native equivalents and spaced repetition that tells you when it’s time to refresh.
