Food Slang 101: How to Describe Humans Using Food (2024)

It is our duty as a websiteto provide you with ways to ingrainfood deeper into everything you do, including using slang inspired by the culinary world. No longer will you have to blandly describe someone’s butt as “nice,” or articulatesomeone as attractive without associating him or her with the splendorof pie.

Here’s a comprehensive guide tofood-meets-anatomy terms.

APPLE BOTTOM

[ap-uh l] [bot-uhm], noun

Origin:Popularized by Nelly’s clothing and lifestyle brand, Apple Bottoms. The term was brought into the mainstream over the years by mentions in various rap songs(see:“Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur”—T Pain, linguist/rapper). Apple Bottoms jeans were also one of Oprah’s Favorite Things™ in 2004.

Definition:A large, shapely derriere that resembles an apple.

Can you use it in asentence?The girl with the apple bottom had the whole club looking at herrrrrrrrrrr.

BEEFCAKE / BEEFY

[beef-keyk] / [bee-fee], noun / adjective

Origin:The male version of “cheesecake,” which was used to describe a beautiful woman. Originated in 1940s when shirtless, muscular men became more popular in movies. The cameramen shooting them referred to them as beefcakes. The actor that brought the term into the mainstream was Guy Madison, whom columnist Sidney Sklosky described as a “beefcake.”

Definition:A muscular guy who probably hits the gym a lot.

Canyouuseitinasentence?I’ve been hitting the gym, like, twoorthree times a day and drinking protein powder to become a beefcake.

BEER BELLY

[beer] [bel-ee], noun

Origin:Stems from the myth that heavy consumption of beer will lead to a protruding belly/gut/stomach.

Definition:An enlarged, tautstomach that typically afflicts older males.

Canyouuseitinasentence?Despite its unseemly appearance, having a beer belly is totally worth it because beer is delicious.(Photo:personal.psu.edu)

BUTTERFACE

[buht-er] [feys], noun

Origin:A contraction of the words “but-her-face”—as in, “everything’s good, but her face.”

Definition:A derogatory term for a person, usually female, who has an attractive body and an unattractive face.

Canyouuseitinasentence?Mike left the club last night with a ten, but woke up with a butterface.

BUTTERFINGERS

[buht-er] [fing-ger], noun

Origin:The term was usedby Charles Dickens in 1836’sThe Pishwick Papers:“At every bad attempt at a catch, and every failure to stop the ball, he launched his personal displeasure at the head of the devoted individual in such denunciations as ‘Ah, ah! – stupid’ – ‘Now, butter-fingers.’”

Definition:Someone with an inability to catch or hold onto things.

Canyouuseitinasentence?John, a total butterfingers, got picked last for flag football because he can’t catch a pass.

CARROT TOP

[kar-uht] [top], noun

Origin:The original use is unclear, but the term was widely popularized by comic Scott Thompson’s stage name.

Definition:Someone with red/orange hair, similar to the color of a carrot.

Canyouuseitinasentence?Carrot tops probably never tire of being asked, “Do the curtains match the drapes?” (Photo: Wikimedia)

CREAM PUFF

[kreem] [puhf], noun or adjective

Origin:Derived from the phrase “light as a cream puff”; was used in the early 1900s as a very offensive way to describe aneffeminate man.

Definition:The term has taken on a slightly less offensive meaning and now describes someone who is weak-willed, soft (physically or emotionally), or easily beaten.

Canyouuseitinasentence?John the cream puff,Beard Papa’s #1 customer, isproof that you are what you eat.

CUTIE PIE

[kyoo-tee] [pahy], noun

Origin:The earliest known reference is a pony named “Cutie Pie” in 1919. The name is most likely a combination of the term pie, which is used to describe a colorpattern on an animal (shortenedfrom the black-and-white magpie), and cutie (for cute).

Definition:Someone very cute and attractive.

Canyouuseitinasentence?Bae is a real cutie pie.

EGGPLANT

[Do emojis make a sound?], noun

Origin:The sick, demented minds of the Internet.

Definition:A picture says a thousand words…

Canyouuseitinasentence?Wait ‘till you see my…

EYE CANDY

[ahy] [kan-dee], noun

Origin:A derivative of a 1977 LP by Helen Reddy entitledEar Candy.Eye candy was first used a year later,in March 1978, in an Oakland Tribune review of the TV showThree’s Company.

Definition:An attractive person who does not add anything of substance, like candy.

Canyouuseitinasentence?I went to go talk to that cute guy over there, but he turned out be nothing more than some niceeye candy.

MEATHEAD / MEATY

[meet–hed], noun / [mee–tee], adjective

Origin:Appeared in writing as early as 1863 (damn, throwing shade is a time-honored pastime), but was popularized in the 1970s on the sitcomAll in the Family.Archie Bunker, the father in the show, referred to his son-in-law as a “meathead.” On Wikipedia, the son-in-law is even referred to as “Mike ‘Meathead’ Stivic.” That’s harsh.

Definition:Someone who is as physically ripped as they are lacking in brain cells.

Canyouuseitinasentence?The meatheads distinguishedthemselves from the rest of the group with their chants of, “Gym, Tan, Laundry.” (Photo: adfontes86)

MELONS

[mel-uhn], noun

Origin:Humans have a history of objectifying women, and one of the first terms to be used for this nefarious purpose may have been melons. In ancient Greece, melon was used to describe all foreign fruits, and the plural was used for a woman’s chest.

Definition:Those things many menaged 13 –∞ devote their lives to touching.

Canyouuseitinasentence?We open on a boy going through puberty:“Hey…uhm, well, hi, yeah, uhm, shoot, those are… mm **wipes sweat from brow** okgottagobye!” –SCENE–

MILKSHAKE

[milk sheyk],noun

Origin: Popularized by a 2003 hit songby American singer-songwriter,certifiedchef,and two-timeGrammy-nominee,Kelis.

Definition:From the creator herself: “Milkshakeis just that thing that makes a woman stand out from everyone else. It’s a thing that makes you sensual and warm and maternal. It could be about breasts but I don’t have huge tit* so yougottawork with what you got.”

Canyouuseitinasentence?Sandy was sad becauseKelis’ milkshake brought all the boys to the yard, leaving Sandy’s yard empty.

MUFFIN TOP

[muhf-in] [top], noun

Origin:One of the few terms on this list that was born during the Internet age, thus allowingevery step to betracked from infancy to infamy—the type of sh*t lexicographers live for. Muffin top was first used as Australian slang in 2003 and popularized by Aussie TV showKath & Kim. Muffin top is a term born out of necessity to describe the roll of flab that was suddenly visible with the rising popularity in crop tops. The breakout year for muffin top was 2006, whenit walked away with Australia’s Macquarie Dictionary’s prestigious (?) “Word of the Year,” and the American Dialect’s Society’s “most creative” new term of the year.

Definition:Fat that spillsout over a man (“stud-muffin-top”) or woman’s beltline, resembling the top of a muffin puffing out over the pan.

Canyouuseitinasentence?The swarm of muffin tops today must not have heard the saying, “Just because it zips, doesn’t mean it fits.” (Photo: FitnessTime)

NUTS

[nuhts], noun

Origin:Pre-1800s, nuts was slang for the head of a man’s penis; later, in the mid-1800s, people used nuts to refer to the head of a man’s body, and then finally we arrived the current meaning:testicl*s. Sexual terms have often evolved into terms usedto describe insanity (screw to screwy)—the more you know.

Definition:Testes.

Canyouuseitinasentence?His nuts dropped: A tale of one boy’s journey into manhood.

PEACH FUZZ

[peech] [fuhz], noun

Origin:Peaches are covered in a fine, white hair that shares a strong resemblance to fine facialhairs.

Definition:Light, fuzzy hairs that are treasured by boys entering puberty everywhere.

Canyouuseitinasentence?Bobby insisted that he was growing a beard. Alas, it was only peach fuzz.

PEAR-SHAPED

[pair] [sheypt], adjective

Origin:These days, the term is used mostly by women’s magazine when describing how to dress for your body type.However, the term’s origins date all the way back to at least 1815, when one of the Venus figurines from the Paleolithic period was nicknamed la poire—“the pear”—for its shape.

Definition:A body shape that is narrow/business on top, and wide/party in the hips.

Canyouuseitinasentence?I never wore leather pants again after Cosmo diagnosed me with a pear-shaped body.

PIZZA FACE

[peet-suh] [feys], noun

Origin:The truerootsof pizza face are vague, but the term was popularized in the ’90s when Pizzaface appeared as a villain in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’s 1990 toy line.

Definition:A face splotched with oily acne, resembling a greasy piece of pepperoni pizza.

Canyouuseitinasentence?I tried to order a ‘pizza face’ at a Pizza Hut once, but the man suffering from adult acne across the counter just punched me in the face.

SHRIMP

[shrimp], noun

Origin:According to the Oxford English Dictionary, using shrimp to describe a “diminutive or puny person” caught on quickly in the 1300s, just decades (1320s to 1380s) after the term shrimp was first used to describe the tiny crustacean. Because shrimp is from the German word schrimpen, which means “to shrink up,” it became the go-to term to describe short people.

Definition:Someone who is small in stature, but unfortunately does not come with Cheddar Bay Biscuits.

Canyouuseitinasentence?The best parts of movies is when it’s revealed the 6’11”, 300-pound guy is ironically named something like ‘Tiny’ or ‘Shrimp.’