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What do we call someone who hurriedly pounds on food and eats like as though never seen before. I would like to know an alternate word for that person, either an adjective or noun.

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There are a few idioms that work for this, such a 'wolfing his food' or the less well know but descriptive 'pelicaned' from Under Milkwood. – Roaring Fish Jun 29 '12 at 13:34
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wolfing sounds right. – techie Jun 29 '12 at 13:38

9 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

A gobbler is a common way to describe a person who eats too quickly.

Trencherman is uncommon but might to fit the bill, though its connotation is more one of quantity than speed.

A binger is someone who eats rapidly and excessively.

A pig is someone who eats uncouthly, noisily, and or rapidly.

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Ahhh, now I know why I eat my food slowly - I use Google. – Xan Jun 29 '12 at 16:45
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@XanderLamkins Took me a second. Well done. – Mark Beadles Jun 29 '12 at 16:47
up vote 5 down vote

I would use either bolt or scoff as in

He bolted his food so fast he finished his starter before I had raised my fork.

From online dictionaries a description is:

Bolt: To eat (food) hurriedly and with little chewing

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+1 for posting while I was searching OED! – Roaring Fish Jun 29 '12 at 13:35
Well not really.What i actually want to suggest is an adjective that can be used for, friends who (bolt) on food as soon it arrives on the table in the canteen.Does that sound right? – techie Jun 29 '12 at 13:35
You should perhaps change the question then - at the moment it reads like you want the word for eating hurriedly, but you say you want the word for someone who eats hurriedly, is that right? – Rory Alsop Jun 29 '12 at 13:43
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fascinating, in the US we call the second word "scarfing" as in "He scarfed down his food." – Mark Beadles Jun 29 '12 at 14:52
up vote 5 down vote

I would call them a glutton:

: one given habitually to greedy and voracious eating and drinking

The adjectival form is gluttonous.

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I normally think of gluttony as referring more to the quantity of food consumed, as opposed to the pace at which it is eaten. (Still, not a bad word to add to the discussion.) – J.R. Jun 29 '12 at 15:27
@J.R. I agree, but I felt it should make an appearance. :) – cornbread ninja 麵包忍者 Jun 29 '12 at 19:38
up vote 4 down vote

You could say he gobbled up everything on the table. For your friend you could say he is a gobbler.

According to The Free Dictionary gobbler means:

gobbler - a hasty eater who swallows large mouthfuls.

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up vote 3 down vote

Bolt may be what you are looking for:

  1. The act of bolting food.

1835 J. Wilson in Blackwood's Mag. 37 133 The difference between a civilized swallow and a barbarous bolt.

http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/21143?rskey=4OhmMY&result=2&isAdvanced=false#eid

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Well not really.What i actually want to suggest an adjective that can be used for, friends who (bolt) on food as soon it arrives on the table in the canteen.Does that sound right? – techie Jun 29 '12 at 13:35
up vote 2 down vote

The verb guzzle means “eat or drink greedily”, and the noun guzzler is derived from that. It’s commonly used in the phrase “gas guzzler” to describe a motor vehicle with poor fuel economy.

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Guttle ("To put into the gut; to eat voraciously; to swallow greedily; to gorge, gormandize") seems to be more specific to eating than does guzzle ("To drink (or, sometimes, eat) quickly, voraciously, or to excess; to gulp down; to swallow greedily, continually, or with gust"). – jwpat7 Jun 30 '12 at 0:16
up vote 1 down vote

Also there is the term boarding-house manners ... presumably since when you live in a boarding house you must eat quickly before the food runs out. And those who have lived in a boarding house at one time may retain this habit.

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up vote 1 down vote

Gourmand comes to mind, "a person who is fond of good eating, often indiscriminatingly and to excess."

I would say that such a person "stuffs their face" which I like for vividness. I was going to suggest that you could coin "face-stuffer" -- but if you google the phrase, you'll see that others already have.

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up vote -1 down vote

"Chow-hound" reads like it fits what you're looking for best. The word kind of defines itself: One who wolfs food down, like a wolf or dog. Or, to be more polite: One who eats with great gusto. (Noun - as in, "You're such a chow-hound; wait 'til everyone is served," or "Don't be a chow-hound and pass the dish.")

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A chowhound is someone who is always ready to and likes to eat, not necessarily someone who wolfs his food. – Robusto Dec 12 '12 at 4:17

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