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cud

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chew one's cud

Fig. to think deeply; to be deeply involved in private thought. (Alludes to the cow's habit of bringing food back from the first stomach into the mouth to chew it, called chewing the cud.) He's chewing his cud about what to do next.

See also: chew, cud

chew the cud

  (informal)

to think about something carefully and for a long time He sat chewing the cud all morning.

See also: chew, cud

chew the cud

Also, chew over. Ponder over, meditate, as in John tends to chew the cud before he answers, or Let me chew that over and let you know. The first term, first recorded in 1382, transfers the appearance of a patiently ruminating cow to a person deep in thought. The variant was first recorded in 1696.

See also: chew, cud

chew the cud

Slang

To ponder over; meditate.

See also: chew, cud