It is meat and drink to me

What's the meaning of the phrase 'It is meat and drink to me'?

Meat and drink in this phrase has two meanings, which appear to be independent of each other. Either, to be a source of support or pleasure or, to be a simple and routine matter.

What's the origin of the phrase 'It is meat and drink to me'?

It isn’t clear which of those two meanings is intended in the earliest known use of the phrase – John Frith’s, A boke answering vnto M. Mores lettur, 1533:

“It is meate and drinke to this childe to playe.”

Shakespeare used the phrase in As You Like It, 1600, and the meaning there is clearly the former:

“It is meat and drinke to me to see a Clowne.”

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About the Author

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

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