Meaning of Idiom “I Could Murder (A Food or Drink)”
When we say “I could murder (a certain food or drink)” we mean that we have a strong craving or desire for that particular food or drink. The idiom also indicates that one is very hungry or thirsty and thus would eat the food or drink the beverage quickly, aggressively, with enthusiasm, and in large amounts.
“Murder” can be used alone to mean “eat quickly and aggressively” as in “Steve murdered two cheeseburgers and two chocolate shakes and still had room for more.”
Sentence Examples
“I could murder a good cheeseburger right now.”
“Man it’s hot out here. I could murder a big glass of iced tea!”
“Snails are nasty but I’m so hungry I could murder almost anything right now.”
“I’ve been off sweets for two weeks. I could totally murder a piece of chocolate cake right now.”
“Well Derrick was hungry. He just murdered two pizzas by himself.”
Origin
The use of “murder” to mean devour completely and aggressively is probably related to other similar uses of the term to mean “ruin, destroy, spoil, etc.” It suggests that not only will a person eat a food or consume a drink, but will do so with a lack of decorum.