Thanksgiving Idioms in English
Thanksgiving is an American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. On this day, families gather around a festive meal — with turkey as the main dish — to celebrate all they are thankful for. In recent years, celebrating Thanksgiving with friends (called Friendsgiving) has also become popular. Unlike Halloween, Thanksgiving has not spread much beyond the U.S. But here on the English language blog, we’ll celebrate it with a list of 10 great Thanksgiving idioms!
Stew in your own juices
This idiom comes from cooking — stewing means to cook food slowly in its own liquids. As an expression, to stew in your own juices means to be left alone with your own thoughts, regrets, or problems — usually after making a mistake.
Gravy train
Gravy is a rich meat sauce that’s a must on every Thanksgiving table. But the idiom gravy train has nothing to do with food — it refers to an easy way to make a lot of money with little effort, often in business or politics.
Talk turkey
Since turkey is the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, this idiom fits perfectly. However, talk turkey doesn’t mean chatting about dinner — it means to speak honestly, seriously, and directly, especially in business.
Go cold turkey
This idiom has “turkey” in it, but it refers to quitting something — especially a bad habit — suddenly and completely, without slowly reducing.
Butter someone up
Butter is another Thanksgiving staple, used in many recipes. The idiom butter someone up means to flatter someone to get something in return. It comes from an ancient Hindu tradition of throwing butter balls at statues of gods for blessings.
Gobble something down
“Gobble gobble” is the sound turkeys make, and to gobble something down means to eat quickly, sometimes too quickly or without manners.
Be stuffed
The Thanksgiving turkey is often stuffed with herbs and bread cubes — and being stuffed is exactly how people feel after the big meal! It means being so full that you can’t eat anymore.
Count your blessings
Before the turkey is carved, many families say a prayer and give thanks for their blessings. The idiom count your blessings is a reminder to be grateful for what you have, even during tough times.
Have butterfingers
Watching football is a big Thanksgiving tradition. The idiom have butterfingers is used to describe someone who is clumsy, especially someone who keeps dropping things, like a football player who can’t catch.
Full plate
During Thanksgiving, your plate is literally full — but the idiom have a full plate means having a lot to do or being very busy.
