eat into (something)
1. To take away or use up a large amount of resources over a certain period of time. Changing voter demographics have been eating into the party's traditionally strong hold on state politics. Don't eat into your savings to pay for that fancy new smart phone.
2. To erode, corrode, or slowly consume something. Rising acidity in the ocean has caused it to start eating into the hulls of our ships.
fish-eating grin
A smug, self-satisfied, or overly pleased smile, especially one that (intentionally or unintentionally) irritates others. She's been walking around with that fish-eating grin on her face ever since she found out she got into Harvard.
pie-eating grin
A smug, self-satisfied, or overly pleased smile, especially one that (intentionally or unintentionally) irritates others. She's been walking around with that pie-eating grin on her face ever since she found out she got into Harvard.
eat (one's) salt
To stay at someone's house. I feel bad eating Jim's salt for a week, but his house is closer to the meeting site than any hotel.
eat (one's) words
To retract, regret, or feel foolish about what one has previously said. You think I can't get an A in this class, but I'll make you eat your words when we get our report cards! After my negative prediction for the season, I certainly ate my words when the team started out undefeated.
eat pussy
vulgar slang To perform cunnilingus on a woman.
eat (something or someone) for breakfast
To defeat, complete, or handle something easily. Often used as part of a boast. He can challenge me all he wants, I'm not worried! I eat chumps like him for breakfast! If anyone can write a term paper in one night, it's Rich—he eats assignments like that for breakfast!
shit-eating grin
rude slang A facial expression denoting arrogance, smugness, or self-satisfaction. Primarily heard in US. I really wanted to wipe that shit-eating grin off his face after he won the poker game.
what's eating somebody?
(informal) something that you ask when someone is angry and you want to know why He suddenly noticed I wasn't joining in the conversation. 'What's eating you tonight?' he asked.
have somebody in the palm of your hand
also have somebody eating out of the palm of your hand to have so much control over someone that they will do whatever you want them to do She's got her boyfriend eating out of the palm of her hand. It was such an amazing performance - he had the audience in the palm of his hand.
See grease palma shit-eating grin
(American taboo) a look of extreme satisfaction on someone's face that is annoying to other people who are less happy Ever since she heard they'd won she's been sitting there with that shit-eating grin on her face.
proof of the pudding, the
Results are what count, as in Let's see if this ad actually helps sales-the proof of the pudding, you know. The full expression of this proverb, dating from about 1600, is The proof of the pudding is in the eating, but it has become so well known that it is often abbreviated.
what's eating you
Also,
what's bugging you. What is annoying or bothering you? For example,
We've conceded just about every point, so what's eating you now? or
You're in a terrible mood-what's bugging you? The first slangy term, dating from the late 1800s, presumably uses
eat in the sense of "consume"; the colloquial variant, from about 1940, uses
bug in the sense of "annoy." Also see
what's with.