pie (redirected from as sweet as pie)

*American as apple pie

Cliché quintessential American. (*Also: as ~.) A small house with a white picket fence is supposed to be as American as apple pie.

See also: American, apple

*easy as A, B, C and *easy as falling off a log; *easy as rolling off a log; *easy as (apple) pie; *easy as duck soup

very easy. (*Also: as ~.) If you use a cake mix, baking a cake is easy as A, B, C. Mountain climbing is as easy as pie. Finding your way to the shopping center is easy as duck soup. Getting out of jail was easy as rolling off a log.

See also: easy

*in apple-pie order

Fig. in very good order; very well organized. (*Typically: be ~; get something ~; put something ~.) Please put everything in apple-pie order before you leave. I always put my desk in apple-pie order every evening. I've put my entire life into apple-pie order.

See also: order

cow chip and cow pie; cow patty; cow flop

Inf. a piece of cow manure. The pioneers didn't have much wood, so they burned dried cow chips. How did that big ol' cow pie get in the middle of my flower bed? Tom slipped on a cow patty.

See also: chip, cow

cut the pie up

Fig. to divide something up. (Can refer to an actual pie or anything that can be divided into varying portions.) It all depends on how you cut the pie up. How should I cut up the pie?

See also: cut, up

eat humble pie

to act very humble when one is shown to be wrong. I think I'm right, but if I'm wrong, I'll eat humble pie. You think you're so smart. I hope you have to eat humble pie.

See also: eat, humble

have a finger in the pie and have one's finger in the pie

Fig. to have a role in something; to be involved in something. (See also have one's finger in too many pies) Tess wants to have a finger in the pie. She doesn't think we can do it by ourselves. Sally always wants to have a finger in the pie.

See also: finger, have

have one's finger in too many pies

Fig. to be involved in too many things; to have too many tasks going to be able to do any of them well. (See also have a finger in the pie.) I'm too busy. I have my finger in too many pies. She never gets anything done because she has her finger in too many pies.

See also: finger, have, many

motherhood and apple pie

Fig. an often parodied sentiment expressed about allegedly quintessential elements of American home life. Fred is so old-fashioned. Everything about old times is good to him. He's all motherhood and apple pie.

See also: and, apple

pie in the sky 

1. Fig. a future reward after death, considered as a replacement for a reward not received on earth. Don't hold out for pie in the sky. Get realistic. If he didn't hope for some heavenly pie in the sky, he would probably be a real crook.

2. Fig. having to do with a hope for a special reward. (This is hyphenated before a nominal.) Get rid of your pie-in-the-sky ideas! What these pie-in-the-sky people really want is money.

See also: sky

Shut your cake hole! and Shut your pie hole! shut your face!

Inf. shut up!; Shut your mouth! I've heard enough! shut your cake hole!

See also: cake, shut

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a slice of the cake  (British, American & Australian) also a slice of the pie (American)

a part of the money that is to be shared by everyone The government has less money to spend on education this year, so primary schools will get a smaller slice of the cake than last year.

See a piece of the action

See also: cake, slice

be as American as apple pie

to be typically American Country and western music is as American as apple pie.

See also: American, apple

be as easy as pie

to be very easy Oh, come on! Even a child could do that, it's as easy as pie.

See also: easy

be as nice as pie  (informal)

if someone is nice as pie, they are friendly to you when you are expecting them not to be I came in this morning expecting him to be furious with me and he was nice as pie.

See also: nice

be in apple-pie order

to be very tidy and in good order Wendy kept all her belongings in apple-pie order.

See also: order

be pie-eyed  (old-fashioned)

to be drunk After only two bottles of cider they were completely pie-eyed.

eat humble pie  (British, American & Australian) also eat crow (American)

to be forced to admit that you are wrong and to say you are sorry The producers of the advert had to eat humble pie and apologize for misrepresenting the facts.

See also: eat, humble

have a finger in every pie

to be involved in and have influence over many different activities, often in a way that other people do not approve of You can't make a decision on any kind of funding without consulting him - he has a finger in every pie.

See also: every, finger, have

pie in the sky

if an idea or plan is pie in the sky, it seems good but is not likely to be achieved Those plans of his to set up his own business are just pie in the sky.

See also: sky

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(as) easy as A, B, C See: (as) easy as pie

See also: easy

(as) easy as pie

very easy You make everything sound as easy as pie, George.

Usage notes: also used in the forms (as) easy as 1-2-3 or (as) easy as A, B, C (very easy to understand) and (as) easy as falling off a log (very easy to do)

See also: easy

a finger in every pie

involved in or influencing many different activities You could say that this town wouldn't function without him, because he has a finger in every pie.

Usage notes: often used to show disapproval of someone whose influence or power is too great

See also: every, finger

a piece of the pie

a share in something Each group needs money and is working hard for its own piece of the pie.

Etymology: based on the idea that something whole is like a pie (a round, filled pastry) that can be divided

See also: piece

as American as apple pie

having qualities that are thought to be typical of the US or of the people of the US Blue jeans are as American as apple pie.

See also: American, apple

pie in the sky

something good that is unlikely to happen Our leaders need to offer more than pie in the sky when they talk about political and social issues.

See also: sky