Chew the Fat

Etymology:

• This idiom was used many years ago. It was popular with the army men, who used to chew on big meat pieces that carried a lot of fat. They used to chew the food and talk about their day, plans or other matters of life. It was like a relaxed chit-chat session. Many people argue that the habiting of chewing fat meat pieces represented a person, as if he or she was speaking.