Chew the fat
(At the coffee shop)
Rob: | Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. Hi, Feifei. I saved this table for us. This is my favourite coffee shop. |
Feifei: | Hi, Rob. Thanks for inviting me to have breakfast with you. It's nice to have the first meal of the day in the company of a colleague before going to the office. |
Rob: | Yes, indeed. Let's chew the fat. |
Feifei: | Ah, you won't catch me this time! I know what you mean by 'chew the fat'! |
Rob: | Every language has some expressions that have a literal meaning and a figurative one. I'm glad you've heard this one before. |
Feifei: | In English, the expression 'chew the fat' means to talk in a friendly way, socially, without actually exchanging too much serious information. Maybe gossip a bit ... |
Rob: | Yes. It's a casual conversation, like the one we might have now, over breakfast. |
Feifei: | But first, let's hear some examples of how to use the expression 'chew the fat'. |
Rob: | So now you know what 'chew the fat' means. Let's enjoy some fat. I took the liberty of ordering some food for youand it's on its way now. |
Waitress: | And here you have two plates of your typical English breakfast, as you ordered, sir. |
Rob: | Thank you. Mmmmmthat smells delicious! Come on, Feifei, tuck in while it's still hot. |
Feifei: | Oh Rob. It looks nice but it's a lot of food. Fried egg, cooked mushrooms, half a tomato, a lot of bacon ...
Rob: Yes. It is our typical fry-up. |
Feifei: | I like eggs and tomato but ... there's a lot of fat here. |
Rob: | Come on, just chew the fat! It's very cold outside and there's nothing like a hearty meal to start the day full of energy. |
Feifei: | Well, it is really cold and the meal smells nice. Maybe eating a bit of fat occasionally won't make me ... well ... fat. |
Rob: | Come on, let's chew the fat. I've heard that John hired a new secretary. He's got one already so why does he need two? |
Feifei: | I know. And she doesn't have much to do anyway ... Mmmmm ... this bacon is really crispy. Let's chew the fat. Bye. |
Rob: | Bye. Mmmmm. Glorious greasy food! Mmmmm ... |