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To chew the fat

Meaning: To chat idly and at length.

Language: English

Literally: To chew the fat

Category: Food & Drink

Origin: Sailors and farmhands once gnawed tough salted fat during slow, talkative hours; the leisurely chewing matched the leisurely talk.

More idioms — Food & Drink

  • Eine Extrawurst verlangen — To expect special treatment.
  • Importar un pepino — To not care in the slightest.
  • Avere le mani in pasta — To be deeply involved in something.
  • お茶を濁す — To dodge a question with a vague, evasive answer.
  • Encher linguiça — To pad something out with filler to take up space or time.
  • Met de neus in de boter vallen — To arrive at exactly the right, lucky moment.

More English idioms

  • By the skin of your teeth — By the narrowest possible margin.
  • To rain on someone's parade — To spoil someone's plans or happy moment.
  • To have a chip on your shoulder — To harbor a grudge or a defensive sense of grievance.
  • To cost an arm and a leg — To be extremely expensive.
  • To burn the midnight oil — To work late into the night.
  • Once in a blue moon — Very rarely.

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