phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Chewed out

Posted by ESC on February 05, 2004

In Reply to: Whats the origin of posted by chuck on February 04, 2004

: where did the phrase "chewed my a** out" come from?

I don't know. But I can tell you that one reference says it dates back to 1946 and originated in the U.S. ("Oxford Dictionary of Slang" by John Ayto (Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York, 1999)

I'm going to guess that it refers to some drill sergeant who was chewing on a soldier like a dog chews on someone.

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.