English is a rich language that has an abundance of words that you can use to add interest and spice to your conversations and presentations. As in many languages, it’s not uncommon for one word to have several meanings, depending on how it’s used in a sentence. Learning how to use these idiomatic expressions will give you an edge when corresponding with native English speakers, and will help you hold the attention of your listeners. Here are four words that you’ll probably see in many cookbooks, whose idiomatic meanings can often be traced back to the culinary world, but which you can also use to describe feelings and actions unrelated to food.

waffle (verb)
Definition: To vacillate, act indecisively, change opinion or position, equivocate.
Example: The politician ran for office saying that he supported new immigration legislation, but once elected, he began to waffle from his previous position, and now seems to agree with the opposing party half the time.

roast (verb)
Definition: To poke fun at, denigrate in a mocking or tongue-in-cheek manner, ridicule.
Example: A tradition at many modern weddings is for the groom’s best friend to roast the newlyweds, bringing up embarrassing moments from their past, rather than giving a sweet and flowery speech about future happiness and wedded bliss.

zest (noun)
Definition: Enthusiasm, passion, excitement.
Example: The 1957 Broadway show Auntie Mame tells the story of a young orphan boy sent to live with his rich and eccentric aunt, whose zest for living inspires and entertains him.

stew (verb)
Definition: To fret, worry about something.
Example: He’s difficult to work with, always stewing over minor glitches in the timeline, and making everyone else nervous about whether or not we can complete the project successfully.