River Chew of its distance, forming part of the Monarch's Way. The name "Chew" has Celtic origins, cognate with the River Chwefru, "cliwyf-ffrenwy", "the moving, gushing water"; ancient forms are "Estoca" (Chew Stoke), "Chiu" (Chew Magna), and "Ciwetune" (Chewton Mendip). Its exact meaning admits of several possible explanations, including "winding water", the "ew" being a variant of the French "eau", "water". The word "chewer" is western dialect for "narrow passage" and "chare" is Old English for "turning." Another theory is that the name derives from the Welsh "cyw", "the young of an animal, or chicken", such that "Afon Cyw" would have meant
Chew the fat again, there remains to be no evidence supporting these claims, and this would require accepting a great deal of uncertainty in connecting the phrase from nautical origins to its modern metaphorical use. There are also claims the phrase is synonymous with the action of chewing on fat, or simply an allusion to the movement of the mouth during chewing. Noting that fried fat is appealing in taste, it was regarded as a treat that someone could chew on for as long as possible to gain the most out of it. The "Oxford English Dictionary" earliest citation for ""Chew the fat""