Words / B2

CHOO/tʃuː/

To chew is to break food between the teeth; chew over means to think about something slowly: chew food; chew over the evidence. Masticate is the biology twin; ponder is the thinking twin. Chew over the conflicting sources, the history tutor said. Mix-up: chew vs eschew; cue; do not write chew for a gum advert with no digestion or evaluation in the source.

Meaning

To break food between the teeth; chew over means to think about something slowly.

Examples

• “Chew over the conflicting sources, the history tutor said; still name the year.”
• “Mastication featured in the digestion practical, which is the chew-food sense — still name the enzyme if asked.”

Good to know

chew food; chew over / on; chewing. Biology twin: masticate. Thinking twin: ponder. Trap: eschew. Biology, methods, and history. Break food with the teeth, or think something over — specify.

Near in meaning

masticate, ponder, mull over

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