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A.Word.A.Day--chow

chow (chow) noun

Food.

verb intr.

To eat (usually in the form "to chow down").

[Perhaps from Cantonese zab (food, miscellany).]

"Sampling one apple is fine, but don't eat up the orchard's profits by chowing down on a lot of fruit before weighing and paying for your pickings." Mary Jane Solomon; Take Your Pick Of the Area's Apple Offerings; The Washington Post; Sep 12, 2003.

"Though Mr. Gingold wasn't on Atkins (diet), he was eating all that additional meat and fat -- and still chowing down on items the diet forbids, like spaghetti and bread. As a result, his cholesterol jumped about 10 points." Katy McLaughlin; The Atkins Spousal Syndrome; The Wall Street Journal (New York); Sep 18, 2003.

This week's theme: words originating in Cantonese.

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