champ at the bit

English

Etymology

From champ (verb) (“to chew noisily”) + bit (“part of horse's harness held in its mouth”); horses tend to chew their bits when impatient with waiting.

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

Verb

champ at the bit (third-person singular simple present champs at the bit, present participle champing at the bit, simple past and past participle champed at the bit)

1. (intransitive, equestrianism) To bite the bit, especially when restless.
2. (intransitive, idiomatic, of a person) To show impatience or frustration when delayed.
   • 2001: Byron Spice, Science Editor, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PG News read at [1] on 14 May 2006

     Pittsburgh supercomputer is complete, and scientists are champing at the bit to use it.

   • 2006: Australian Broadcasting Corporation, webpage for Ideas with wings, a radio series supporting innovation read at http://abc.net.au/science/wings/ on 14 May 2006

     Everyone is champing at the bit to be labelled innovative.

   • 2006: Al Rosenquist of Pastika’s Sport Shop, speaking to Terrell Boettcher of Sawyer County Record, Hayward, Wisconsin, Anglers champing at the bit read at [2] on 14 May 2006

     We had quite a few people in last weekend. They’re champing at the bit, ready to go.

Synonyms

• chafe at the bit

Related terms

• chomp at the bit

Translations

of horse: to bite the bit

• Finnish: purra kuolainta
• French: prendre le mors aux dents (fr)
• German: auf dem Gebiss kauen
• Russian: закуси́ть удила́ (zakusítʹ udilá)

to show impatience when delayed

• Finnish: hermoilla
• French: ronger son frein (fr), se ronger les ongles (fr)
• German: mit den Hufen scharren (de)
• Russian: закуси́ть удила́ (zakusítʹ udilá)
• Swedish: brinna av iver, brinna av otålighet

See also

• strain at the leash