Heading
Cheshire cat eating cheese—I have always heard 'evacuating bones,' which if less decent is more expressive.
1866. Dodgson ('Lewis Carroll'),
Alice in Wonderland, ch. viii.
Chest. To chuck out one's
chest, phr. (common).—To pull
oneself together; stand firm;
'keep a stiff upper lip.'
Chestnut, subs. (American).—A
stale joke or story; an old 'Joe';
something frequently said or done
before. As to the variants of
this phrase—their name is legion.
The old songs are chestnut
songs; he who would foist a stale
jest is implored to spare the
chestnut tree, not to rustle the
chestnut leaves, not to set the
chestnut bell a-ringing. [The
Philadelphia Press (1888) attributes
the introduction of the phrase to
Mr. William Warren, a veteran
Boston comedian. In a forgotten
melodrama, by William Dillon,
called The Broken Sword, there
were two characters, one a Capt.
Xavier, and the other the comedy
part of Pablo. Says the captain,
a sort of Munchausen, 'I entered
the woods of Colloway, and
suddenly from the thick boughs
of a cork tree'—when Pablo interrupts
him with the words: 'A
chestnut, captain, a chestnut.
'Bah!' replies the captain.
'Booby, I say a cork tree.' 'A
chestnut,' reiterates Pablo, 'I
should know as well as you,
having heard you tell the tale
these twenty-seven times.'
Warren, who had often played
Pablo, was at a stage-dinner,
where one of the men told a
story of doubtful age and originality.
'A chestnut,' quoth
Warren, 'I have heard you
tell the tale these twenty-seven
times.' The application pleased,
and when the party broke up
each member helped to spread
the story and the commentary.
This is the most plausible of
many explanations.]
1882. Halkett Lord, in N. and Q.,
7 S., vii., 53. I first heard the word [chestnut] in 1882, in a theatrical chop-house (Brown's) in New York. The explanation given to me by Mr. Brown—once a well-known member of Wallack's company—was 'Chestnut, because it is old enough to have grown a beard,' alluding to the prickly bristly husk of the nuts.
1886 Dram. Rev., March 27, p. 86
col. 2. Minnie Palmer will give £1000 to any one who will submit to her an idea for legitimate advertising. . . . Chestnut ideas not wanted. [m.]
1888. New York Sun, Jan. 24. 'May
I venture to tell the old, old story, Miss Maud,' he said, tremulously; 'the old, old, yet ever new, story of—' 'Pardon me, Mr. Sampson, if I cause you pain,' interrupted the girl, gently, 'but to me the story you wish to tell is a chestnut.' 'A chestnut?' 'Yes, Mr. Sampson, I'm already engaged; but I will be a sister—' 'It isn't as wormy as that one,' murmured Mr. Sampson, feeling for his hat.
Chete.—See Cheat.
Chew, subs. (common).—A small
portion of tobacco; a quid. Cf.,
Chew the cud.
1880. Jas. Greenwood, Gaol Birds
at Large. A piece as large as a horse-bean, called a chew, is regarded as an equivalent for a twelve-ounce loaf and a meat ration.
To chew oneself, verbal phr. (American).—To get angry. For synonyms, see Nab the rust.
To chew the cud, verbal phr. (common).—To chew tobacco.
To chew the rag or fat, verbal phr. (military).—To grumble.
