Can You Pack Up the Leftovers for Me? Meaning & Examples

Meaning 1：pack up leftovers (Can you pack up the leftovers for me?)

Can you pack up the leftovers for me? 🔊

/kæn juː pæk ʌp ðə ˈlɛftˌoʊvərz fɔːr miː/

phr.

A request for someone to put the uneaten food into a container so you can take it away.

pack up leftovers 🔊

➕

/pæk ʌp ˈlɛftˌoʊvərz/

phr.

A polite request for someone to place the remaining uneaten food into a container, typically for the speaker to take home.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Beginner

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From 'pack' (to put together) + 'up' (completely) + 'leftovers' (remaining food from a meal).

💡 Mnemonic

Picture packing a doggy bag with leftover pizza slices after a party.

📖 Example

After our big family dinner, we had so much delicious food uneaten, so I asked my sister, "Can you pack up the leftovers for me?" and we enjoyed them for lunch the next day. 🔊 After our big family dinner, there was a lot of delicious food left, so I asked my sister to put the leftovers in containers, and we ate them for lunch the next day.

🔗 Collocations

pack up the leftovers – To put the remaining uneaten food into containers.

take away leftovers – To remove leftover food from a restaurant or home.

box up the food – To place food in a box for transport.

🔄 Synonyms

wrap up the leftovers (phr.) – To cover or enclose leftover food in paper or plastic for carrying.

put the leftovers in a doggy bag (phr.) – To place the uneaten food in a bag typically provided by a restaurant.

save the leftovers (phr.) – To keep the extra food for future consumption.

🚫 Antonyms

throw away the leftovers (phr.) – To discard the remaining uneaten food.

leave the food on the plate (phr.) – To not take the uneaten food home.

📖 Cultural Story

This phrase became common in mid-20th-century America with the rise of doggy bags, allowing diners to take uneaten food home, often for pets.