Modul 5: Idiom 40: Food for Thought

Food for Thought

Hi. Let’s take a look at the Idiom, ‘food for thought.’ If you give someone food for thought, you give them something to think about carefully.

So what is the origin of this idiom?

Food that we eat gives our bodies energy. In this same way, by giving someone ‘food for thought’ you are giving them energy for their thoughts. You giving them something to think about. This has been a phrase for many years. It dates back to the 1700s during the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment was the time when people began thinking about things for themselves rather than listening to the monarchy – the kings and queens – and the religious guidance of the country, like the popes and priests. The standard of living was improved during this time. It was a time of people thinking about things for themselves rather than being told what to think by other people.

Take a look at our illustration.

Look at the clothing that the three people are wearing. They all come from the 1700s. The couple with the baby are listening to the man on the barrel talking. He’s talking to them about the food in his hand. We can see by their facial expressions and the lightbulb in the thought bubble above their heads that they are listening and they are thinking about what he is saying.

Here are some examples before we go to the concept questions…

“Will you progress with your English if you don’t practise? There’s some food for thought.”

“There’s a car crash on Woolwich Common Road. Just some food for thought when you drive to work this morning.”

“I’m reading a really interesting philosophy book full of food for thought.”

“Here’s some food for thought for you. If you want to lose weight you can’t just eat healthily, you need to exercise too.”

“I’m not telling you what to do Janice, I’m just giving you some food for thought.”

Let’s look at some situations and check your understanding:

1. Nigel was saving money for a car. He’d been told that the supermarket in town was giving a discount to the new customers. Was it food for thought? Yes. It was a good way of saving money.

2. “Cycling to work would be a great way for getting fit,” suggested Monica to Claire, who had been doing office work for a good while. Did Claire think that it was food for thought? Yes, although she wasn’t sure she could manage the 10 miles each day it was definitely something to think about.

3. The bank’s interest rates were so bad, but Roger still told Sheila that transferring was a good idea. Was this food for thought?  Absolutely not, Sheila didn’t even need to consider it.

4. Mark offered the applicant a similar job but not the actual position she had applied for. Did Mark give the applicant food for thought? Yes. The applicant wanted a job, but now she had to think about the new offer and come to a decision.

5. Although the Jones families always go abroad on holiday each year, the problems with flight cancellations had made them seriously consider staying in England this year.  Had the risk of flight cancellations given them food for thought? Yes. They had to assess the risk of the flight cancellations in light of the risk of bad weather.

Great. Now go and practise. See you soon.