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Definition of cud in English:

cud

Pronunciation /kəd/

See synonyms for cud on Thesaurus.com

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noun

  • Partly digested food returned from the first stomach of ruminants to the mouth for further chewing.

    ‘And I could only stare, my mouth hung open dumbly like a cow gumming its cud.’
    • ‘She had come here to reject William and instead she was daydreaming about Arthur and watching with a growing sense of repulsion as William chewed incessantly, like a cow with a mouthful of cud.’
    • ‘They're feasting on some of the best cud for miles.’
    quid, twist, plug, chew

Phrases

    chew the cud

    • 1(of a ruminant animal) further chew partly digested food.

      ‘We can't worry about not eating shellfish or animals that chew the cud.’
      • ‘Only those animals having divided hooves and chewing the cud are permitted - in practice, cow, sheep, goat, and deer, but not pig, camel, horse, or rabbit.’
      • ‘And in the later years, like an old buffalo, sometimes undependable, sluggish, mule-ish, she has a tendency to stop when and where she wants to, chewing the cud in the middle of the road.’
      • ‘It knelt in the centre of its pen with three woolly, unshorn friends, contentedly chewing the cud.’
      • ‘After a few seconds the cow began to twitch and was soon back to normal and chewing the cud.’
      • ‘The longer length of the chopped grass allows cows to chew the cud.’
      • ‘As they chew the cud, rumen development is encouraged and this promotes a lean weanling with a large frame to send to grass.’
      • ‘God instructed Moses and Aaron to tell the people what food to eat - any animal with a split hoof which chews the cud.’
      • ‘They could have been cycling through Normandy, with lush green hedges to left and right and cows chewing the cud in fields next to half-timbered houses.’
      • ‘Standing around chewing the cud, cows don't look especially threatening.’
      • ‘It was like being in a field with three very elegant but undernourished heifers chewing the cud.’
      • ‘She turned liquid brown eyes to view him and continued to chew the cud as she watched him pull out a stool and bucket.’
      • ‘In 1997, Canada placed a ban on cattle feed that contains animal parts, particularly those of cattle, sheep and other cud-chewing animals.’
      • ‘The ban extends to all ruminant animals, or mammals that chew their cud.’
      • ‘Ruminants are more susceptible than horses or swine because cud chewing and rumen bacteria help release the cyanide.’
      • ‘As in other parts of India, it's not uncommon to find cows - sacred animals to Hindus - lounging in the medians or on the sidewalk chewing their cud, unfazed by the choking diesel fumes.’
      • ‘When looking at the herd 3 hours after milking, 70% should be lying down or chewing their cud.’
      • ‘The cow resembled her a little bit too, the way it chewed its cud and looked stupidly around as though waiting for someone to come along and give it some hay.’
      • ‘After leaving our transport vehicles we slithered on our stomachs through fields, passing a number of cows lying down chewing their cud.’
      • ‘As you can see, they're all very quiet, laying down there on their beds, chewing their cud, very relaxed and tame.’

    • 2British Think or talk reflectively.

      ‘we chewed the cud and drank a few beers’
      • ‘I have never found that that I was helped by clinging to the memory of the wrong done me nor by chewing the cud of bitterness and savoring the thought of some exquisite punishment being meted out to them.’
      • ‘I was sitting around yesterday, chewing the cud with the fellows, solving the problems of the world, and watching a little rugby out of the corner of my eye.’
      • ‘Some of the more quick-witted locals are chewing the cud, and guess what — they are beginning to wonder if there's a link between the letter and the plane crash.’
      • ‘I spent this evening with Polly, Jo and mostly with Sarah, chewing the cud.’
      • ‘The two chewed the cud and decided to replicate the success of an existing internet company but with a different business model.’
      • ‘I even chewed the cud with two (of the very, very many) white-haired older women who seem to frequent Hartington.’
      • ‘The opportunity to get together to chew the cud with fellow farmers once a week must be a tremendous boost to morale, especially with the challenges, disasters and traumas which have confronted agriculture in recent times.’
      • ‘This is a lot of cud to chew in a medium that I continue to insist is emotional, not intellectual.’
      • ‘I will leave the press to chew its own incomprehensible cud, and address myself only to the movies.’
      • ‘There is only so much chewing of further cud one can take over Gershwin's personality.’

Origin

Old English cwidu, cudu, of Germanic origin; related to German Kitt ‘cement, putty’ and Swedish kåda ‘resin’.