English Explanatory Dictionary

champ at the bit

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To bite the bit, especially when restless.
  2. To show impatience or frustration when delayed.

Pronunciation

en-au-champ at the bit.ogg

Word forms

champ at the bit champs at the bit champing at the bit champed at the bit

Etymology

From champ (verb) (“to chew noisily”) + bit (“part of horse's harness held in its mouth”); horses tend to chew their bits when impatient with waiting.

Synonyms

chafe at the bit

Related words

chomp at the bit strain at the leash
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on C Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary