English Explanatory Dictionary

chew the scenery

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant.

Pronunciation

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-chew the scenery.wav en-au-chew the scenery.ogg

Word forms

chew the scenery chews the scenery chewing the scenery chewed the scenery chew on the scenery chew up the scenery

Etymology

Its earliest reference is listed in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang as being used by Mary Hallock Foote in Coeur D'Alene in 1894.http://www.randomhouse.com/wotd/index.pperl?date=20001024

Synonyms

ham it up melodramatize overact tear a cat camp it up

Derived words

scenery-chewer scenery-chewing
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