stick to the ribs

Idioms  

1. Be substantial or filling, as in It may not be health food but steak really sticks to the ribs. This idiom was first recorded in 1603.

---

Example Sentences

A relative of the Irish colcannon, English bubble and squeak, and Indian aloo palak, this is the kind of humble, stick to the ribs food just made for when the temperature dips.

From Salon • Nov. 2, 2023

Both films stick to the ribs precisely because they face their protagonists’ conundrums.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2022

This is the one for the people who love the burned bits, the crispy parts, who yearn for a meal to stick to the ribs and possibly several internal organs.

From Salon • Jan. 20, 2022

Good, substantial vittles, that stick to the ribs," he muttered to himself, "and I'll fix up a good mess o' them.

From Si Klegg, Book 2 (of 6) Thru The Stone River Campaign And In Winter Quarters At Murfreesboro by McElroy, John

We require some food that will stick to the ribs.

From The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 06 (of 12) by Burke, Edmund