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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>chomp</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../C.html" title="C"/><link rel="previous" href="choke.html" title="choke"/><link rel="next" href="chomper.html" title="chomper"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">chomp</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="choke.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">C</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="chomper.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="chomp"/><dt xmlns="" id="chomp"><b>chomp</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">vi.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> 1. To <a href="../L/lose.html"><i class="glossterm">lose</i></a>; specifically, to chew on
something of which more was bitten off than one can. Probably related to
gnashing of teeth. </p></dd><dd><p> 2. To bite the bag; See <a href="../B/bagbiter.html"><i class="glossterm">bagbiter</i></a>.</p></dd><dd><p>A hand gesture commonly accompanies this. To perform it, hold the
four fingers together and place the thumb against their tips. Now open and
close your hand rapidly to suggest a biting action (much like what Pac-Man
does in the classic video game, though this pantomime seems to predate
that). The gesture alone means &#8216;chomp chomp&#8217; (see
<a href="../verb-doubling.html" title="Verb Doubling">Verb Doubling</a> in the
<a href="../construction.html" title="Chapter 4. Jargon Construction">Jargon Construction</a> section
of the Prependices). The hand may be pointed at the object of complaint,
and for real emphasis you can use both hands at once. Doing this to a
person is equivalent to saying &#8220;<span class="quote">You chomper!</span>&#8221; If you point the
gesture at yourself, it is a humble but humorous admission of some failure.
You might do this if someone told you that a program you had written had
failed in some surprising way and you felt dumb for not having anticipated
it.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="choke.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../C.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="chomper.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">choke </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> chomper</td></tr></table></div></body></html>