Chew the fat
Encyclopedia
"Chew the fat" or "chew the rag" are English expressions for gossiping or making friendly small talk; the former being mainly in American vernacular and the latter being in British.
of chewing animal hides during their spare time, and even of British farmers chewing on smoked pork, but again, there remains to be no evidence supporting these claims, and would requires accepting a great deal of uncertainty in connecting the phrase from nautical origins to its modern metaphorical use.
There are also claims that the phrase is synonymous with the action of chewing fat, or simply an allusion to the movement of the mouth during chewing. Noting that fried fat is appealing in taste, it was regarded as a treat that someone could chew on for as long as possible to gain the most out of it.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary
, "Chew the fat" first appeared in 1885 in a book by J Brunlees Patterson called Life in the Ranks of the British Army in India. He implied it was a kind of general grumbling and bending of the ears of junior officers to stave off boredom, a typical part of army life. Patterson also uses "chew the rag" in the same sentence he used "chew the fat", but it is not the oldest occurrence.
It is speculated that this phrase is related to cloth, when ladies would work in "sewing circles", or that women may have gossiped while quilting.
It was used as a way to describe complaining or grumbling, typically by the military.
In ham radio, extended conversation, as opposed to just exchanging basic information (name, location, equipment), is called "ragchewing".
Chewin' the Fat
was the title of a Scottish comedy
sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan
, Greg Hemphill
and Karen Dunbar
. Chewin' the Fat
first started as a radio
series on BBC Radio Scotland
.
Chew-The-Fat.com is a UK-based website hosting a web forum
, described as "The chat forum your mother warned you about", devoted to chat, gossip, and humorous banter and cartoons.
In 1999, a widespread hoax called "Life in the 1500s", false information was circulated through email regarding "chew the fat". Among offering explanations for many phrases, the email stated:
This caused reexamination of many folk phrases and idioms, which had falsified many phrase etymologies. Although it has been widely accepted as accurate, this misinformation has since been dispelled.
Chew the fat
Although some sources attribute the phrase "chew the fat" to sailors, who during a period of resting and conversing, or while working together, would chew on salt-hardened fat, there are no reliable historical recordings of this practice. It has even been suggested that the phrase is derived from a practice by North American Indians or InuitInuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
of chewing animal hides during their spare time, and even of British farmers chewing on smoked pork, but again, there remains to be no evidence supporting these claims, and would requires accepting a great deal of uncertainty in connecting the phrase from nautical origins to its modern metaphorical use.
There are also claims that the phrase is synonymous with the action of chewing fat, or simply an allusion to the movement of the mouth during chewing. Noting that fried fat is appealing in taste, it was regarded as a treat that someone could chew on for as long as possible to gain the most out of it.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
, "Chew the fat" first appeared in 1885 in a book by J Brunlees Patterson called Life in the Ranks of the British Army in India. He implied it was a kind of general grumbling and bending of the ears of junior officers to stave off boredom, a typical part of army life. Patterson also uses "chew the rag" in the same sentence he used "chew the fat", but it is not the oldest occurrence.
Chew the rag
Appearing first in print from 1875 in "Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang", the excerpt reads:It is speculated that this phrase is related to cloth, when ladies would work in "sewing circles", or that women may have gossiped while quilting.
Shared use
The first appeared synonymously as early as 1885, in J. Brunlees Patterson's "Life in the ranks of the British army in India and on board a troopship", which listed the terms in succession:It was used as a way to describe complaining or grumbling, typically by the military.
Modern usage
It was not until 1907 that the phrase "chew the fat" was used to express partaking in idle conversation, for a friendly talk, or a gossip session. It has also been used to a way to define telling tall tales.In ham radio, extended conversation, as opposed to just exchanging basic information (name, location, equipment), is called "ragchewing".
Chewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show.Chewin' the Fat first started as a radio series on BBC Radio Scotland...
was the title of a Scottish comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan
Ford Kiernan
Ford John Kiernan is a Scottish actor and comedian. Along with his comedy partner, Greg Hemphill, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' The Fat.-Personal life:...
, Greg Hemphill
Greg Hemphill
Gregory "Greg" Hemphill is a Scottish actor and comedian. He has also presented on television and radio. Along with his comedy partner, Ford Kiernan, he is best known in the United Kingdom for his appearances in Still Game and Chewin' the Fat.-Personal life:Hemphill was born in Glasgow, Scotland,...
and Karen Dunbar
Karen Dunbar
Karen Dunbar is a Scottish comedienne and entertainer.-Early life:She first came to the attention of mainstream audiences in the BBC Scotland comedy series Chewin' the Fat and subsequently was given her own show by the channel, The Karen Dunbar Show.Prior to mainstream success, Karen, an out...
. Chewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat
Chewin' the Fat is a Scottish comedy sketch show, starring Ford Kiernan, Greg Hemphill and Karen Dunbar. Comedians Paul Riley and Mark Cox also appeared regularly on the show.Chewin' the Fat first started as a radio series on BBC Radio Scotland...
first started as a radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
series on BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland
BBC Radio Scotland is BBC Scotland's national English-language radio network. It broadcasts a wide variety of programming, including news, sport, light entertainment, music, the arts, comedy, drama, history and lifestyle...
.
Chew-The-Fat.com is a UK-based website hosting a web forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
, described as "The chat forum your mother warned you about", devoted to chat, gossip, and humorous banter and cartoons.
Email hoax
This caused reexamination of many folk phrases and idioms, which had falsified many phrase etymologies. Although it has been widely accepted as accurate, this misinformation has since been dispelled.