# What does ‘chew the fat’ mean?

To “chew the fat” means to have a leisurely chat. A 19th-century idiom of uncertain origin; Brewer's 1898 does not record it in this sense.

## What it means

- A 19th-century idiom of uncertain origin; Brewer's 1898 does not record it in this sense.

## Action steps

1. Casual invitation to a long informal conversation.
2. Example: Come by later — we'll chew the fat.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

---
Canonical: https://bestidiomanswers.com/answers/chew-the-fat
Author: Best Idiom Answers — https://bestidiomanswers.com
Publisher: Best Idiom Answers
Published: 2026-07-18T04:16:35.731447+00:00
Modified: 2026-07-18T04:16:35.731447+00:00
Last verified: 2026-07-18
License: Citation License 1.0 — https://bestexpertanswers.com/license
© Adolicious LLC