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Glite Dictionary
finger-lickin' good

finger-lickin' good

1 8.6
Having a very strong taste that makes you want to eat every last bit
  • idiom
  • /ˈfɪŋɡərˈlɪkɪn ɡʊd/
  • Informal
translation icon : delicioso
  • This pizza is finger-lickin' good; you won't want to leave a single crumb behind.

Examples

  • The barbecue ribs were so finger-lickin' good that everyone asked for seconds.

  • It's finger-lickin' good.

    Near Dark (1987)

  • After tasting her homemade cookies, I can confirm they are finger-lickin' good.

Synonyms

tasty
vsfinger-lickin' good
175 1.0

Food or drink with a pleasant flavor that people enjoy

is more informal and extreme, implying a strong urge to keep eating
yummy
vsfinger-lickin' good
  • Informal
106 6.1

Very tasty and pleasant to eat

is more intense and creates a strong physical urge to taste again
mouthwatering
vsfinger-lickin' good
4 3.2

So good in smell or look that you want to eat it

describes the strong taste and satisfaction felt after eating rather than before
pleasant-tasting
vsfinger-lickin' good
3.0

A food or drink with a nice taste that people enjoy

expresses a much stronger, informal reaction that suggests irresistible enjoyment

Antonyms

disgusting
531 1.3

Causing a strong feeling of dislike or making you feel sick

inedible
11 4.5

Not safe to eat because it can make you sick

How Tasty

finger-lickin' good
  • Informal
1 8.6
delicious
419 1.0
tasty
175 1.0
good
∞ 1.0
pleasant
314 1.0

Surface Forms

finger-lickin' good positive

Morphology

finger-lickin' + good

This is a colloquial reduction of 'finger-licking good' composed from 'finger' + 'lick(ing)' + 'good', so its meaning 'so tasty you want to lick your fingers' is directly inferable from the constituent words and a common embodied reaction. The informal spelling does not obscure the compositional logic, so a B1 learner who knows 'finger', 'lick', and 'good' would readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Finger-lickin' good comes from the picture of someone eating with their hands and actually licking their fingers, with lickin' showing that action, because the food is so tasty. That's why it means 'extremely tasty'.