Words nearby chew
chevron, chevronel, chevrotain, chevy, chevy chase, chew, chew out, chew over, chew the cud, chew the fat, chew up
Idioms for chew
chew the fat, Informal. to converse at length in a relaxed manner; chat: They liked to sit around chewing the fat.Also chew the rag.
Origin of chew
before 1000; Middle English chewen, Old English cēowan; cognate with Old High German kiuwan (German kauen)
OTHER WORDS FROM chew
chew·er, nounun·chewed, adjectivewell-chewed, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chew
chews chooseDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for chew the fat
chew
/ (tʃuː) /
verb
to work the jaws and teeth in order to grind (food); masticate
to bite repeatedlyshe chewed her nails anxiously
(intr) to use chewing tobacco
chew the fat or chew the rag slang
- to argue over a point
- to talk idly; gossip
noun
the act of chewing
something that is cheweda chew of tobacco
Derived forms of chew
chewable, adjectivechewer, nounWord Origin for chew
Old English ceowan; related to Old High German kiuwan, Dutch kauwen, Latin gingīva a gum
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Idioms and Phrases with chew the fat (1 of 2)
chew the fat
Also, chew the rag. Chat in a friendly, leisurely way, as in Let's get together for coffee and chew the fat, or John and Dave spend hours just chewing the rag. Before the 1880s in Britain, chew the fat meant “to grumble or complain,” and chew the rag also has been used in this way. Today both expressions are largely synonyms for a friendly talk or gossip session. Why this idiom uses fat and rag is not known, but some speculate that fat refers to juicy items of gossip and rag to ladies' sewing circles and the cloth they worked on while chatting.
Idioms and Phrases with chew the fat (2 of 2)
chew
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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