chow¹

[chou] /tʃaʊ/

noun

food, especially hearty dishes or a meal.

Verb phrases

chow down, to eat; eat a meal, especially the main meal of the day:

In the army we usually chow down at 6 p.m.

Origin

1855-60, Americanism; short for chow-chow

British Dictionary definitions for chow down

chow down

verb (intransitive, adverb) foll by on

(informal) to eat heartily

chow

/tʃaʊ/

noun

(informal) food

short for chow-chow (sense 1)

chow

"food," 1856, American English (originally in California), from Chinese pidgin English chow-chow (1795) "food," reduplication of Chinese cha or tsa "mixed." The dog breed of the same name is from 1886, of unknown origin, but some suggest a link to the Chinese tendency to see dogs as edible.

Slang definitions & phrases for chow down

chow down

verb phrase

To eat; have a meal: They should bundle up, chow down, and stay home (WWII Navy)

chow

noun

Food; meals; fare: How's the chow at Maxim's these days? (1856+)

verb

: OK gang, let's chow (1900+)

[perhaps fr Pidgin English chow-chow, ''a mixture (of foods),'' but also a dog of China that is eaten by the poor]

Idioms and Phrases with chow down

chow down

Eat, as in He's always ready to chow down at dinner time. Originally military slang, this term is now more widely used. The noun chow in the sense of food, originating from either Chinese or pidgin English in the 18th century, also appears in such terms as chow line, a line of people waiting for food, and chow time, mealtime. [ ; mid-1900s ]