chewing the cud
Bovine digestive recycling
Chewing the cud is what ruminant animals do—cows, sheep, goats, and deer regurgitate partially digested food and chew it again.
The process is called rumination.
Figuratively, to chew the cud is to think something over slowly and repeatedly: He sat on the porch chewing the cud, mulling over whether to sell the farm.
- cowsAdult female bovines
- dairy cattleLivestock raised for milk
- foregutAnterior alimentary canal portion
- grazingFeeding on pasture
- ruminationProlonged, repetitive thinking
chewing over · digestion · musing · pondering · deep in thought · lost in thought · pasture · grass fed · meditation · mulling over · introspection · deliberation · reflection · masticate · cud · livestock · herd · contemplation
chewing the cudsnap judgment
Rapid evaluation without deliberation
jumping to conclusions · snap decision · thinking on one's feet · shooting from the hip · knee-jerk reaction
chewing the cudrushing
Rapid forward movement
hurrying · hustle and bustle · hustling · dashing · scrambling