chew the fat

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

Roberts says it is not uncommon for him to be recognised by patients and he is more than happy to "chew the fat over days gone by".

From BBC • Dec. 27, 2025

Some lucky ones even got to chew the fat at the sixth MLB Little League Classic with big leaguers such as Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper and Washington’s Joey Meneses.

From Washington Times • Aug. 20, 2023

“Night of the Living Dead” They’ll be stopping by to chew the fat in George A. Romero’s 1968 terror tale, the OG zombie thriller.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 15, 2021

“I’d go there and chew the fat with him.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2021

Later on in Herbie’s western summer, as things—instead of developing— remained more or less the same or got worse, he wished Pacheco’s pig would come around once more so they might chew the fat again.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Related Words

• answer
• bicker
• consider
• contest
• deliberate
• oppose
• question
• wrangle