FOOD-BASED PHRASEOLOGICAL UNITS IN ENGLISH

Abstract

The present study examines English phraseological units containing food-related lexical components, with particular attention to idioms formed with apple, bread, bean, bacon, banana, berry, and breakfast. These expressions constitute a culturally marked and semantically productive group within English phraseology. The article analyses their semantic structure, etymological origins, stylistic stratification, and pragmatic functions. Special emphasis is placed on idioms of biblical and mythological origin, as well as on colloquial and slang expressions, revealing the interaction between elevated and everyday language. The study demonstrates that food-based idioms reflect fundamental human experiences such as survival, labour, morality, prosperity, deprivation, and social relations.