chew the cud

English

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Verb

chew the cud (third-person singular simple present chews the cud, present participle chewing the cud, simple past and past participle chewed the cud)

1. (agriculture) To ruminate (of ruminant animals).
2. (figuratively, idiomatic, of a person) To meditate or ponder before answering; to be deep in thought; to ruminate.
   • 1847, Alfred Tennyson, “(please specify the page number, or |part=Prologue, I to VII, or conclusion)”, in The Princess: A Medley, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:

     chewed the thrice turned cud of wrath

   • 1963, J P Donleavy, A Singular Man, published 1963 (USA), page 46:

     George sat chewing the cud over matters. Unhappy memories.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ponder

Translations

literal meaning

• Dutch: herkauwen (nl)
• Finnish: märehtiä (fi)
• French: ruminer (fr)
• Hungarian: kérődzik (hu)
• Italian: ruminare (it)
• Latin: rūmīnō
• Navajo: náʼátʼaał
• Scottish Gaelic: ath-chagainn
• Telugu: నెమరువేయు (te) (nemaruvēyu)
• Turkish: geviş getirmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: жува́ти жу́йку (žuváty žújku)
• Vietnamese: nhơi (vi)

to meditate or ponder before answering

• Finnish: märehtiä (fi)
• French: ruminer (fr)
• German: sinnieren (de), grübeln (de), nachdenken (de)

See also

• chew the fat