eat someone's lunch

== English == === Etymology === Possibly from the idea of a stronger or quicker person snatching away and eating another person’s lunch before they can consume it. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈiːt ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈlʌnt͡ʃ/, /-ˈlʌnʃ/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈit ˌsʌmwʌnz ˈlʌnt͡ʃ/, /-ˈlʌnʃ/ Rhymes: -ʌntʃ === Verb === eat someone's lunch (third-person singular simple present eats someone's lunch, present participle eating someone's lunch, simple past ate someone's lunch, past participle eaten someone's lunch) (idiomatic, chiefly US, slang) To best or defeat someone thoroughly; to make short work of. Synonyms: eat someone for breakfast, have someone for breakfast; see also Thesaurus:defeat ==== Translations ==== === Further reading === Colin McIntosh, editor (2013), “eat someone’s lunch, idiom”, in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 4th edition, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, reproduced in the Cambridge English Dictionary website, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. “eat someone’s lunch”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present. “eat someone’s or something’s lunch, idiom”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.