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  • Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English

  • We Speak. I'm Feifei.

  • Neil: And I'm Neil.

  • Feifei: Hey Neil, would you like to try

  • one of my homemade cookies?

  • Neil: Well, we shouldn't really eat while

  • we're presenting but... go on then...

  • Feifei: I made them last night and I

  • thought I'd try them out on you! You've got

  • a sweet tooth so I know you can't resist!

  • Neil: OK then... Mmmm.

  • Feifei: Well, what do you think?

  • Neil: Well, they're... OK. Perhaps not the

  • best I've ever had.

  • Feifei: Oh, so you think my cooking

  • isn't great?

  • Neil: Let's say it's something to chew on.

  • Feifei: Right! So you're saying my

  • homemade cookies are chewy?

  • Neil: No, I'm not. In fact they're... crunchy.

  • But when someone says they need to

  • chew on something, it's an informal way

  • to say they need to think about it

  • before making a decision.

  • Feifei: Well, Neil, I will chew on response

  • to your insult about my cooking while we

  • hear some examples...

  • Our extension plans are great but we

  • need to chew on it before we give them

  • the go-ahead.

  • Hmm, it's very expensive to fly to

  • Australia for a holiday.

  • Let's chew on it shall we?

  • My boyfriend asked me to marry him and

  • I said I'd chew on it.

  • He didn't seem that pleased!

  • Feifei: This is The English We Speak and

  • Neil has been using the expression

  • 'to chew on something' or

  • 'something to chew on' which

  • means to think about something before

  • making a decision. And Neil, I've made

  • a decision about what to say to you!

  • Neil: Oh yes?

  • Feifei: If you don't like my cooking,

  • I will not be inviting you to

  • my dinner party tonight.

  • Neil: Oh Feifei! Ah well, at least

  • I'll avoid your cooking.

  • Feifei: I'm not cooking. We're getting

  • a takeaway curry and lots of wine.

  • I suppose you could

  • come... if you pay for the take away?

  • Neil: Hmm that is something I don't need

  • to chew on. The answer's 'no' - I'll stay at

  • home and... bake my own cookies!

  • See ya.

  • Feifei: Bye.

Feifei: Hello and welcome to The English

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