to chew up
2
7.1
- phrasal verb
- /tʃu ʌp/
- Informal
:
reñir
- You get chewed up and spit out if you're not confident and if you're not strong and assertive.
- get chewed up
Examples
-
That his training was unbelievably intense to the point where he would just just chew out, chew up and destroy all training partners.
-
He might chew up your good shoes," Terry's father said.
Fiction book (1998) -
At what point did you feel most chewed up and spit out?
-
I'm gonna enjoy watching you get chewed up.
-
He's been chewed up about it ever since.
-
This town, it chews you up, then spits you out.
Fiction book (1994) -
You're about to get chewed up like a fucking cow!
-
"The mother," I said, "was she fat?" The other morning, in the taco place, I'd seen a fat woman chew up a quesadilla and dribble it into her baby's mouth.
Fiction book (1999) -
It would charcoal broil you with breath of fire, chew you up, vomit you out, and burn you again before swallowing you once and for all.
Fiction book (1996) -
The coach chewed up the players for their lack of effort during the game.
Synonyms
89
4.6
To give someone a long serious talk that warns or scolds them about what they did
71
5.6
Suddenly say angry things about someone by speaking or writing
55
2.2
Speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong
44
8.1
To tell someone angrily that they did something wrong
36
7.2
Scold someone angrily and severely
33
6.1
To tell someone they did something wrong, usually by a person in charge
26
6.9
To tell someone firmly that you do not approve of their actions
22
7.0
Tell someone you are unhappy with what they did
18
6.3
To scold someone strongly for a mistake
15
7.3
To severely criticize someone or something
13
7.0
Scold someone angrily in front of others
12
8.2
To criticize someone very strongly and angrily
11
8.1
To angrily tell someone off
10
6.9
Tear something into many pieces or say very bad things about it
4
7.9
Scold someone very strongly for a mistake
3
7.9
To tell someone strongly that they have done something wrong, often in front of others
3
8.8
To scold someone strongly for something they did wrong
3
9.8
To scold someone very harshly
3
6.3
To angrily tell someone they did something wrong
1
8.0
To criticize someone or something very strongly in public
1
8.6
To scold someone very strongly for a mistake
1
6.8
Tell someone angrily that they did something wrong
Shout loudly at someone because they did something wrong
To criticize someone angrily using harsh words
Criticize or attack someone strongly
To speak angrily to someone and criticize them
To speak to someone in a sudden angry way without good reason
To tell someone angrily that you do not like what they did
Tell someone angrily that you are upset with them
To attack someone with angry words
Antonyms
How Harsh
1
8.0
- Informal
2
7.1
55
2.2
- Formal
33
6.1
701
3.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal verb 'chew' (to bite/grind) plus the particle 'up' (completion/consumption) yields a clear image of something being consumed or destroyed, so a learner who knows the parts can plausibly infer a meaning like 'use up' or 'damage'. However, its frequent metaphorical extension to abstract resources (time, data, memory) and occasional sense of causing problems is an extension that is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Chew up (meaning 'to criticize or scold someone harshly') may come from the picture of being bitten and torn by teeth. One popular story says people imagined the verb chew doing the damage with words, so chew up came to mean 'to scold' or 'tear someone down'.