I could eat a horse

From the Inky Fool:

What with the news that almost every snack in Europe is actually my little pony, and the jokes about spaghetti bologneighs, I keep being asked about the origin of the phrase I could eat a horse. Specifically, does it mean:

1) I am so hungry that I could eat something as large as a horse, an elephant or a blue whale.

Or

2) I am so hungry that I would be prepared eat something unusual, like horse, squirrel or cockroach.

So I set off to trace the phrase back. It turned out to be popular all the way through the nineteenth century. But once you get far enough, the phrase changes to I could eat a horse behind the saddle. 

 So, it's not the largeness but the lack of appeal that is unusual in the phrase.

Also: "thirsty enough to drink barley-water."  Or, to use a modern equivalent, Cherry Pepsi.

Ciao, slave

Who knew?

ciao 

parting salutation, 1929, dialectal variant of Italian schiavo "(your obedient) servant," literally "slave," from Medieval Latin sclavus "slave" (see slave (n.)).

I love the Online Etymology Dictionary!

der Geburtstag - birthday

Wann hast du nochmal Geburtstag?

When is your birthday again?

мороженое - ice cream

Купи мороженое на десерт!

Buy ice cream for dessert! 

помыть - to wash

Не могли бы вы помыть картошку и грибы?

Can you wash the potatoes and mushrooms? 

гриб - a mushroom

У тебя есть грибы? Мне нужно купить грибы.

Do you have mushrooms?  I need to buy mushrooms. 

купить - to buy

Пожалуйста, купи мне конфеты.

Please buy me candy.

 

Мне нужно купить лук.

I need to buy onions.

лук - the onion

Не могли бы вы нарезать лук?

Can you cut the onions?

нарезать - to cut, slice

Мне нужно нарезать сыр.

I need to slice the cheese.