chew the fat
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chew the fat
Where it comes from
One of the possible origins is from the fact that after a meal people would go into their sitting room with their guests and chit chat while chewing on the fat left over from a meal.
Another possibility comes from sailors who often had salted beef and pork on long voyages and the fat would harden. Sailors would eat and complain about the hard life of the sea while "chewing the fat"
Probably just from comparison of the jaw movements in chewing to the jaw movements in talking.
verb chews the fat · chewing the fat · chewed the fat
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To chat idly or generally waste time talking.
We're not supposed to waste time chewing the fat with the customers.
Similar: chew the rag, shoot the breeze, shoot the shit, shoot the bull, throw the bull
Talk about this word "chew the fat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/chew%20the%20fat. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. chew the fat. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/chew%20the%20fat "chew the fat." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/chew%20the%20fat.Cite this
@misc{chew_the_fat_2026,
title = {chew the fat},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/chew%20the%20fat},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
