champ at the bit en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From champ (verb) (“to chew noisily”) + bit (“part of horse's harness held in its mouth”); horses tend to chew their bits when impatient with waiting.
Meanings
- (intransitive) To bite the bit, especially when restless.
-
(figuratively, intransitive, of a person) To show impatience or frustration when delayed.
Pittsburgh supercomputer is complete, and scientists are champing at the bit to use it [title]
2001 October 1, Byron Spice, “Pittsburgh supercomputer is complete, and scientists are champing at the bit to use it”, in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2006:We had quite a few people in last weekend. They’re champing at the bit, ready to go.
2006 May 14, Al Rosenquist, “Anglers champing at the bit”, in Sawyer County Record:“We've been told by the biggest developers in the country that this is impossible,” he says. “We're champing at the bit to prove them all wrong.”
2026 June 13, Alice Fisher, quoting Shiv Malik, “Can robots build new towns?”, in FT Weekend (House & Home section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1:Everyone is champing at the bit to be labelled innovative.
2006 May 14, “Ideas with wings, a radio series supporting innovation”, in Australian Broadcasting Corporation, archived from the original on 05 Feb 2010:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| champing at the bit | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| champed at the bit | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| champed at the bit | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| champs at the bit | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
strain at the leash · chomp at the bit
Synonyms
Translations (17)
fi hermoilla (to show impatience when delayed) · hu tűkön ül (to show impatience when delayed) · fr prendre le mors aux dents (of horse: to bite the bit) · de auf dem Gebiss kauen (of horse: to bite the bit) · fr se ronger les ongles (to show impatience when delayed) · fi purra kuolainta (of horse: to bite the bit) · fr ronger son frein (to show impatience when delayed) · pl niecierpliwić się (to show impatience when delayed) · ru закуси́ть удила́ (of horse: to bite the bit) · de mit den Hufen scharren (to show impatience when delayed) · pl gryźć wędzidło (of horse: to bite the bit) · hu toporzékol (to show impatience when delayed) · ru закуси́ть удила́ (to show impatience when delayed) · pl zniecierpliwić się (to show impatience when delayed) · sv brinna av iver (to show impatience when delayed) · sv brinna av otålighet (to show impatience when delayed) · hu toporog (to show impatience when delayed)