chew (someone) up and spit (him or her) out
idiom
: to defeat (someone) badly
That district attorney will chew you up and spit you out in the courtroom.
Examples of chew (someone) up and spit (him or her) out in a Sentence
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As played, respectively, by Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke — two of Britain’s very best character actors, even if Burke rarely works onscreen these days — the pair chew up and spit out the scenery with relish.
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Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
On either side, shifting sandbars waited to chew up and spit out wayward traders, nationality be damned.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
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Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
On either side, shifting sandbars waited to chew up and spit out wayward traders, nationality be damned.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Chew (someone) up and spit (him or her) out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chew%20%28someone%29%20up%20and%20spit%20%28him%20or%20her%29%20out. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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