subs. (common).—A small portion of tobacco; a quid. Cf., CHEW THE CUD.
1880. GREENWOOD, Gaol Birds at Large. A piece as large as a horsebean, called a CHEW, is regarded as an equivalent for a twelve-ounce loaf and a meat ration.
TO CHEW ONESELF, verbal phr. (American).—To get angry. For synonyms, see NAB THE RUST.
TO CHEW THE CUD, verbal phr. (common).—To chew tobacco.
TO CHEW THE RAG or FAT, verbal phr. (military).—To grumble.
c. 1887. J. BRUNLEES PATTERSON, Life in the Ranks of the British Army, ch. xvii. Some of the ‘knowing blokes,’ prominent among whom will be the ‘grousers,’ will, in all probability, be … ‘CHEWING THE RAG, or FAT.’
