Eat it or wear it

Posted by Frankie on July 13, 2000

In Reply to: Eat it or wear it posted by Barney on July 12, 2000

: : : : I am not a native speaker. Give an idea of what 'eat it or wear' means

: : : Does it refer to an over-decorated hat in which a hungry person sees sustenance, and the well fed sees decorative advantage at the races.

: : Maybe it's just the people I hang around. But I have heard this said by the cook to a reluctant diner. "I worked in the kitchen all day. Now, eat that spaghetti or wear it."

: I don't eat in those places; perhaps I should.

I believe the original phrase is "...you'll be wearing it. Meaning the food will be thrown on you by the cook. It usually starts with the prospective eater complaining about the food or wanting something different ie: a hamberger but pasta is presented. So, the cook (or in my case--mom at home)explains the efforts and toils to cook the rejected meal by exclaiming..."you'll eat what I cooked and love it or you'll be wearing it".