chaw
/tʃɔ:/
Definition
Noun:
- A wad or plug of something chewable, especially tobacco: "chaw" refers to a portion of material, typically tobacco, placed in the cheek to be chewed.
- The act of chewing such material: It can also refer to the act of chewing tobacco without swallowing it.
Verb:
- To chew without swallowing, especially tobacco: "chaw" means to grind or crush something, particularly chewing tobacco, between the teeth without ingesting it.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- He had a large chaw of tobacco in his cheek.
- He offered me a chaw from his pouch.
Verb:
- The old man liked to chaw tobacco while he whittled wood.
- He chawed on the end of his unlit cigar thoughtfully.
Advanced Usage
"To have a chaw on": to be chewing a wad of tobacco.
- You could tell he had a chaw on by the bulge in his cheek.
"To take a chaw": to take a portion of chewing tobacco.
- He took a chaw before starting the long drive.
Variants and Related Words
- Chew (verb/noun): The more standard term for grinding food or other material with the teeth. "Chaw" is a dialectal or informal variant of "chew," often specific to tobacco.
- Chawing (gerund/noun): The continuous action of chewing tobacco.
- His constant chawing was a habit he'd had for years.
Synonyms
- Quid (noun): A piece of something, especially tobacco, for chewing.
- Cud (noun): Food that ruminants chew again. (Note: Used for animals, not tobacco, but shares the concept of re-chewing).
- Masticate (verb): A formal term meaning to chew.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Phrases
(Note: "Chaw" is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is typically simple as a verb or noun.) - Chaw up (informal, regional): To chew something thoroughly or damage by chewing. - The puppy chawed up my favorite slippers.
Related Idioms
- "Chaw-bacon" (archaic, derogatory noun): A rustic or unsophisticated country person.
- The city folks looked down on him as a mere chaw-bacon.
Noun
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a wad of something chewable as tobacco
Verb
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chew without swallowing
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chaw tobacco
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