Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

chew the rag

 - 8 dictionary results

chew

  [choo]
Use chew the rag in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to crush or grind with the teeth; masticate.
2. to crush, damage, injure, etc., as if by chewing (often fol. by up): The faulty paper feeder chewed the letters up.
3. to make by or as if by chewing: The puppy chewed a hole in my slipper.
4. to meditate on; consider deliberately (often fol. by over): He chewed the problem over in his mind.
–verb (used without object)
5. to perform the act of crushing or grinding with the teeth.
6. Informal. to chew tobacco.
7. to meditate.
–noun
8. an act or instance of chewing.
9. something chewed or intended for chewing: a chew of tobacco; taffy chews.
—Verb phrase
10. chew out, Slang. to scold harshly: The sergeant chewed out the recruits.
—Idiom
11. 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:
bef. 1000; ME chewen, OE cēowan; c. OHG kiuwan (G kauen)

Related forms:
chewer, noun

rag

1  [rag]
–noun
1. a worthless piece of cloth, esp. one that is torn or worn.
2. rags, ragged or tattered clothing: The tramp was dressed in rags.
3. any article of apparel regarded deprecatingly or self-deprecatingly, esp. a dress: It's just an old rag I had in the closet.
4. a shred, scrap, or fragmentary bit of anything.
5. Informal.
a. something of very low value or in very poor condition.
b. a newspaper or magazine regarded with contempt or distaste: Are you still subscribing to that rag?
6. a person of shabby or exhausted appearance.
7. a large roofing slate that has one edge untrimmed.
—Idioms
8. chew the rag. chew (def. 11).
9. from rags to riches, from extreme poverty to great wealth: He went from rags to riches in only three years.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME ragge < Scand; cf. Norw, Sw ragg coarse hair < ON rǫgg
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chew the rag
chew   (chōō)   
v.   chewed, chew·ing, chews

v.   tr.

  1. To bite and grind with the teeth; masticate.

  2. To meditate on; ponder: chew a problem over.

v.   intr.

  1. To make a crushing and grinding motion with the teeth.

  2. To cogitate; meditate: chewed on the difficulties ahead.

  3. Informal To use chewing tobacco.

n.  

  1. The act of chewing.

  2. Something held in the mouth and chewed, especially a plug of tobacco. See Regional Note at chaw.

Phrasal Verb(s):
chew out Slang To reprimand; scold.

Idiom(s):
chew the cud Slang To ponder over; meditate.

Idiom(s):
chew the fat/rag Slang To talk together in a friendly, leisurely way; chat at length.

[Middle English cheuen, from Old English cēowan.]
chew'a·ble adj., chew'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
chew (sth)

  1. tv.
    to talk something over. : Why don't we do lunch sometime and chew this over?
  2. tv.
    to think something over. : I'll have to chew it over for a while. I'm not sure now.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
chew the fat

and chew the rag
  1. tv.
    to chat or gossip. : Put your carcass over on the chair, and let's chew the fat for a while. , We chewed the rag for a while and then went out to eat.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
rag

  1. n.
    a newspaper. : What a rag! It's only good for putting in the bottom of bird cages!
  2. n.
    ugly or badly styled clothing; an ugly garment. : I can't wear that rag!
  3. n.
    any clothing, even the best. (Always plural.) : Man, I got some new rags that will knock your eyes out!
  4. n.
    a sanitary napkin; a tampon. (For use in the menstrual cycle. Usually objectionable.) : God, I've got to change this rag!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

rag  (n.)
c.1310, probably from O.N. rogg "shaggy tuft," earlier raggw-, or possibly from O.Dan. rag (see rug), or a back-formation from ragged (c.1300), which is from O.N. raggaðr "shaggy," via O.E. raggig "rag-like." It also may represent an unrecorded O.E. cognate of O.N. rogg. As an insulting term for "newspaper, magazine" it dates from 1734; slang for "tampon, sanitary napkin" is attested from 1930s. Rags "personal clothing" is from 1855, Amer.Eng. Rags-to-riches "rise from poverty to wealth" is attested from 1947. Ragtop "convertible car" is from 1955. Raghead, insulting term for "South Asian or Middle Eastern person," first attested 1921.

chew 
O.E. ceowan "to bite, chew," from W.Gmc. *keuwjanan, from PIE base *gjeu- "to chew." To chew (someone) out is military slang from World War II. Chewing gum is 1850, Amer.Eng., originally hardened secretions of the spruce tree.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see chew the rag on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way