Question

Choose the exact meaning of the idiom/phrase.
To chew the cud
a) To be very annoyed
b) To think deeply
c) To eat humble food
d) To start something new.

Answer 1

Hint: The word cud means partially digested food which is brought back to the mouth from the stomach for chewing again. The phrase given to us is ‘To chew the cud’ which means to contemplate something.

Complete answer:
Let us look at the options given to us and find the closest meaning of the phrase given to us. Option a ‘To be very annoyed’ means to be irritated by something or someone. It is not similar in meaning to that of the given phrase. Thus, the option ‘a’ is incorrect.
Option b ‘To think deeply’ means to ponder over something or to contemplate. As given above, it holds a similar meaning to that of the given phrase ‘To chew the cud’. Thus, option ‘b’ is the correct answer.
option c ‘To eat humble food’ means to accept one’s mistake or that one was wrong, or to accept that one has been defeated. This is not the same as the meaning of ‘To chew the cud’ Thus, option ‘c’ is incorrect.
Option d ‘To start something new’ simply means to begin something new. For example, “It has been a while since I did something different from my daily routine, I must start something new soon.” This is not similar to the meaning of the given phrase. Thus, option ‘d’ is incorrect.

Note:
The given phrase ‘To chew the cud’ is an idiom which means to think slowly or carefully about something.