chow line
2
6.7
- noun
- /ʧaʊ laɪn/
- Informal
- The only story my dad related was being shot at in the chow line after cessation of arms was declared.
Examples
-
Among geriatrics, the chow line carries a message: line up here and tell the world you're still kicking.
Fiction book (1996) -
Where the hell is the chow line?
-
I got more time in the chow line than you got in the corps.
-
All I'm saying is Rusty is usually the first one in the chow line
-
You can take it in your room or hit the chow line at the cafeteria.
Fiction book (1996) -
First in the chow line, Americans understood their plight and sympathized with them.
Academic text (1992) -
I stood in the chow line with my fellow soldiers, eager to get our meals.
-
As we approached the chow line, the smell of freshly cooked food made our mouths water.
-
After morning exercises, we gathered in the chow line to refill our energy with breakfast.
Synonyms
40
1.8
A line of people or cars waiting for their turn
4
4.9
A line of people waiting for free food during hard times
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a line of people waiting to be served food' is directly and predictably built from 'chow' (informal food) + 'line' (queue). This straightforward noun+noun compositional pattern is common in English (and parallels exist cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE, notwithstanding the informal/military register of 'chow'.
Etymology
Chow line comes from military life, where chow was slang for food and soldiers stood in a line to get their meal. That clear image of people waiting for plates is why chow line today means 'a line of people waiting to be served food'.