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Glite Dictionary
to eat it up with a spoon

to eat it up with a spoon

1 8.2
Enjoy something a lot, like a show or tasty food
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : disfrutar al máximo
  • She ate it up with a spoon as soon as she heard about the surprise party planned for her birthday.

Examples

  • You're gonna get Star Trek 09, and most of you assholes are gonna eat it up with a spoon.

    Blog text (22)

  • The children ate it up with a spoon when they tasted the delicious ice cream.

  • Everyone ate it up with a spoon after they tried the chef's special dish at the restaurant.

Synonyms

to enjoy
vsto eat it up with a spoon
∞ 1.0

To feel happy because of something you do or see

means extreme delight rather than ordinary satisfaction
to relish
vsto eat it up with a spoon
70 4.4

To enjoy something very much

is used especially for tasty food or highly pleasurable experiences
to indulge
vsto eat it up with a spoon
68 4.3

To allow yourself to enjoy something pleasant, often more than needed

is pure intense delight rather than self-permission or excess
to devour
vsto eat it up with a spoon
53 3.9

To destroy or use up things quickly, for example when fire burns a building

focuses on delight and pleasure rather than hurried consumption
to savor
vsto eat it up with a spoon
  • US
47 4.1

To enjoy something slowly and fully while noticing every part

is about strong immediate delight rather than slow appreciation
to feast
vsto eat it up with a spoon
27 3.6

To enjoy something very much with your senses, like a beautiful view

is mainly about extreme delight often tied to tasty experiences
to munch on
vsto eat it up with a spoon
  • Informal
14 2.9

To eat something while chewing loudly and enjoying it

highlights extreme pleasure rather than the noisy way of consuming
to tuck in
vsto eat it up with a spoon
  • UK
2 4.0

To eat a lot of food eagerly

emphasizes great pleasure rather than amount consumed

Antonyms

to hate
∞ 1.0

To feel a very strong dislike for someone or something

dislike
  • Texting
49 1.0

A feeling of not liking someone or something

How Enjoyed

to adore
274 2.4
to eat it up with a spoon
  • Informal
1 8.2
to love
∞ 1.0
to enjoy
∞ 1.0
to like
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

eat it up with a spoon infinitive
ate it up with a spoon past
eaten it up with a spoon past participle
eating it up with a spoon present participle
eats it up with a spoon third person singular

Morphology

eat + it + up + with + a + spoon

The phrase combines literal constituents — 'eat' (consume), 'it' (the thing), 'up' (completely) and 'with a spoon' (instrument) — to evoke the image of consuming something eagerly, which maps onto 'enjoying something extremely'. However, the meaning involves a metaphorical extension from physical eating to intense enjoyment, so the exact pragmatic sense may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

The idiom eat it up with a spoon may come from the picture of someone, often a child, eating a favourite food so fast and happily that they literally eat it up with a spoon. That's why the phrase means 'to enjoy something extremely'.