chomped at the bit
Showed restless eagerness
Chomped at the bit means to show eager impatience, like a horse chewing restlessly on its bit while waiting to run.
The standard idiom is *champed* at the bit, but *chomped* has largely replaced it in American speech: The team was chomping at the bit to start the tournament.
Both forms are widely understood.
- impatienceIntolerance of delay
- bridleEquine control harness
- eagernessIntense willingness to act
- raring to goExtremely keen to begin
- reinsBit-attached steering straps
bit · can't wait · itching to start · anticipation · eager beaver · ready to roll · anxiety · on edge · nervousness · frustration · stirrup · yearning · saddle · mane · agitation · excitement · bursting at the seams · restless
eagerness and impatience
chomped at the bitbided one's time
Waited for right moment
held back · kept one's cool · sat tight · took it easy · held one's horses