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Glite Dictionary
to walk and chew gum at the same time

to walk and chew gum at the same time

1 7.2
To do two simple things at the same time
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer dos cosas a la vez
  • I can walk and chew gum at the same time.

Examples

  • Of course they should: we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

    Blog text (11)

  • If you have a laptop and can walk and chew gum at the same time, you can send in comments while watching the game.

    Blog text (18)

  • He is able to walk and chew gum at the same time, which shows his multitasking skills.

  • The new employee proved she could walk and chew gum at the same time during her first project.

  • To succeed in this job, you need to walk and chew gum at the same time while managing multiple tasks.

Synonyms

to juggle
vsto walk and chew gum at the same time
27 3.8

To manage several tasks at the same time, like work and family

is about doing two simple actions to show basic competence rather than many tasks
to multitask
vsto walk and chew gum at the same time
15 3.7

To do two or more things at the same time

is about doing two simple actions to show basic competence

Antonyms

distractibility
1 7.5

A tendency to lose focus because of things around you

How Skilled

to juggle
27 3.8
to multitask
15 3.7
to walk and chew gum at the same time
  • Informal
1 7.2

Surface Forms

walk and chew gum at the same time infinitive
walked and chewed gum at the same time past
walked and chewed gum at the same time past participle
walking and chewing gum at the same time present participle
walks and chews gum at the same time third person singular

Morphology

walk + and + chew + gum + at + the + same + time

The phrase is literally composed of two clear actions ('walk' and 'chew gum') joined by 'and' and qualified by 'at the same time', so a learner who knows those words can infer it means doing two simple actions simultaneously. Although it functions idiomatically to comment on basic multitasking or competence, the figurative sense remains transparently related to the literal components and follows a cross-linguistic logic of simultaneous actions.

Etymology

Walk and chew gum at the same time uses the simple image of a person who can both walk and chew gum at once, like a tiny test of basic ability. So, the phrase means 'to be able to do two simple things at the same time'.