Definition

Noun: A line or queue of people waiting to receive food, especially in an institutional setting like a military camp, a cafeteria, or a soup kitchen.

Usage

This term is used to describe the physical line formed by individuals waiting for a meal. It is most commonly associated with organized, communal feeding situations. - The soldiers formed a chow line outside the mess tent at dawn. - After the drill, there was a long chow line at the dining facility.

Advanced Usage

• The term can imply a sense of order, routine, or necessity, often in contexts where food is provided systematically to a group.
• It can be used metaphorically to describe any orderly but tedious process of waiting for something essential.
  • Graduates waited in a chow line to receive their diplomas from the dean.

Variants and Related Words

• Chow: (noun, slang) Food.
  • The chow here is pretty good.
• Chow hall / Mess hall: (noun) The place where food is served in a military or institutional setting.
  • Meet me at the chow hall after training.

Synonyms

• Food line
• Mess line
• Chow queue (less common)
• Serving line

Related Phrases

• To be in the chow line: To be waiting in line for food.
  • Hurry up, or you'll be at the back of the chow line.
• The end of the chow line: The last position in the queue.
  • By the time I got there, I was at the end of the chow line.

Noun

1. a queue of people waiting for food to be served (especially at a military camp)