munch and munchies

[ostap77]

To say I'm hungry I would put it like this "I have the munchies."?

Can we use it with any kind of food or just hard stuff like cookies or crisps?

Can I say " I was munchimg on home-made hamburgers."?

 

[SoothingDave]

You can have the munchies for any type of tasty food.

There is a bit of a connotation of a drug user, since marijuana is famous for giving people the munchies.

 

[ostap77]

You can have the munchies for any type of tasty food.

There is a bit of a connotation of a drug user, since marijuana is famous for giving people the munchies.

We snack on food. So do we munch on food or munch food?

 

[RachelsEnglish]

Munch on. And you can use the verb munch for anything that has some substance to it: I was munching on carrot sticks
even: I was munching on pizza
but you wouldn't say: I was munching on yogurt

...for example.

Rachel
____________
Need pronunciation help?
Visit RachelsEnglish.com

 

[ostap77]

Munch on. And you can use the verb munch for anything that has some substance to it: I was munching on carrot sticks
even: I was munching on pizza
but you wouldn't say: I was munching on yogurt

...for example.

Rachel
____________
Need pronunciation help?
Visit RachelsEnglish.com

Can we use it for small snacks?

 

[jooooooey]

Munching is more or less slang, except in regard to something being crunchy. I agree with the earlier comments. You can use "munching" if you are talking about something somewhat hard and with substance, such as a carrot, or a cookie, or some lettuce.

You can use munching with snacks such as potato chips.

However, you can use "munching" with something such as a hamburger if you want to imply that it is "not real food", but something you are eating because it tastes good. This is slang, since the real definition of munching is something crunchy.

I agree with the earlier comment about "having the munchies." When I used to smoke marijuana, and wanted to eat something sweet and "good-tasting" because I was stoned, (not because I needed the nutrition) I would say "I have the munchies." So generally, "munching" on something means that it is not something you need, but rather something that tastes good.

If you want to keep it simple, remember: munching=crunchy

 

[BobK]

You can have the munchies for any type of tasty food.

...

Not in the UK. 'Munchies' are the snack foods, not the craving for them. There was also a kind of sweet (candy) called 'Munchies' - maybe there still is. I bet the PR department didn't know about the marijuana angle!

b

 

[Ouisch]

It's true that marijuana is notorious for making users crave junk food - Doritos, potato chips, a plate of loaded nachos, etc. (I saw a funny incident on an episode of COPS where, during a traffic stop, the police officer smelled a strong marijuana odor. "Have you been smoking pot, sir?" he asked. "Absolutely not," the glassy-eyed driver replied. "Oh, really? Because I'm getting the munchies just standing here," the cop scoffed.) But being hungry for snack-type food is also commonly called "the munchies" even when the person is stone cold sober: "I shouldn't be hungry since we just ate dinner an hour ago, but I've got the munchies. Do we have any microwave popcorn in the cupboard?"

"Munch" as a verb can also be used to describe the actual act of eating:
"I didn't have lunch today; I'm on a new diet, so I just munched carrot and celery sticks all afternoon."
"The giant panda spends most of his waking hours munching bamboo shoots."

Usually "munching" describes eating rather casually, over a more prolonged period than just a meal. For example, munching on popcorn while watching a movie, or munching on cheese and crackers during a book club meeting.