CHAMP
What does "CHAMP" mean?
To chew or bite noisily and restlessly; also an informal word for a champion.
Meanings
- To bite or chew noisily and impatiently, as a horse on its bit. The horses champed at their bits, eager to be off.
- A champion; a winner. Get up, champ - you knocked him out cold. informal
Did you know?
- The original idiom is 'champing at the bit', not 'chomping' - it pictures a restless horse noisily working the metal bit in its mouth, and the older verb is 'champ'.
Word origin
The 'chew noisily' verb is probably imitative, recorded from the 1500s; the 'champion' noun is a colloquial 19th-century shortening of 'champion', which traces to Latin 'campio' ('fighter in the field').
Remember it
A CHAMP is a CHAMPion with the 'ion' knocked out - shorter, punchier, ready for the ring.
A little poem
The colt grinds steel and stamps the frosted ground-
all of spring strains forward at the sound.
couplet
Wordplay
- I called my dog 'Champ' for eating fast. Turns out he was just champing at the bit - and my sandwich.
What it teaches
Eagerness with no outlet just grinds in place; channel the champing before it wears you down.
Quick facts
What does CHAMP mean?
To chew or bite noisily and restlessly; also an informal word for a champion.
Is CHAMP a valid word?
Yes — CHAMP is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is CHAMP?
CHAMP has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does CHAMP come from?
The 'chew noisily' verb is probably imitative, recorded from the 1500s; the 'champion' noun is a colloquial 19th-century shortening of 'champion', which traces to Latin 'campio' ('fighter in the field').
What can CHAMP teach us?
Eagerness with no outlet just grinds in place; channel the champing before it wears you down.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.