bite off more than one can chew
To try to do too much; to take on or attempt more than one is capable of doing.
I think I bit off more than I could chew when I agreed to paint this house by myself.
chew
UK /tʃʉw/ US /tʃuː/
noun 5verb 3name 2
Collocations
6(verb.)
ADV
well, thoroughly | vigorously | thoughtfully
up
The dog chewed up my shoe while I was at work yesterday.
PREP
at
The dog was chewing at the old bone in the corner of the yard.
on
The dog was happily chewing on an old rubber toy in the corner.
Definitions
verb
1
To crush with the teeth by repeated closing and opening of the jaws; done to food to soften it and break it down by the action of saliva before it is swallowed.
Make sure to chew thoroughly, and don't talk with your mouth full!
The steak was tough to chew as it had been cooked too long.
2
To grind, tear, or otherwise degrade or demolish something with teeth or as with teeth.
He keeps his feed in steel drums to prevent the mice from chewing holes in the feed-sacks.
The harsh desert wind and sand had chewed the stump into ragged strips of wood.
3
To think about something; to ponder; to chew over.
The professor stood at the blackboard, chalk in hand, and chewed the question the student had asked.
Old politicians chew on wisdom past.
noun
1
The act of chewing; mastication with the mouth.
I popped the gum into my mouth and gave it a chew.
2
Level of chewiness.
Once it's cooked, it's not enough of a hard chew to count.
A bread with a strong and solidified gluten network has a nice chew to it, and many types of charcuterie call for just enough work by the teeth to be dangerously addictive. But in all cases, chewy must be combined with an appropriate amount of ...
3
A small sweet, such as a taffy, that is eaten by chewing.
Phillip purchased a bag of licorice chews at the drugstore.
4
Chewing tobacco.
The school had banned chew and smokes from the school grounds, even for adults.
5
A plug or wad of chewing tobacco; chaw or a chaw.
The ballplayers sat on the bench watching the rain, glumly working their chews.
The first time he chewed tobacco, he swallowed his chew and got extremely sick.
name
1
A surname.
2
A river in Somerset, England.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
chew the cud
To ruminate (of ruminant animals).
chew the scenery
To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.
Near-synonym: camp it up
walk and chew gum at the same time
To do two normally trivial tasks at the same time; to exhibit basic competence or task-management skills.
chew up
To chew so as to make something pulpy or tangled.
She had to chew up the food for him because his teeth are too small.
Example Bank
601
Make sure to chew thoroughly, and don't talk with your mouth full!
Wiktionary02
The steak was tough to chew as it had been cooked too long.
Wiktionary03
The same chewn upon maketh one to avoid much phlegm.
Wiktionary04
I popped the gum into my mouth and gave it a chew.
Wiktionary05
Once it's cooked, it's not enough of a hard chew to count.
Wiktionary06
A bread with a strong and solidified gluten network has a nice chew to it, and many types of charcuterie call for just enough work by the teeth to be dangerously addictive. But in all cases, chewy mus
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, chew is marked as informal. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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