Chip away at the bit

This one was heard on the May 11, 2026 episode of the Jocks in Jills podcast, focused on women’s hockey. It is a conflation of “chip away (at something)” (gradually reduce) and “champing at the bit” (eager to start doing something). Speaking of champing at the bit, the expression comes from the world of horse racing. When a horse is geared up and anxious to start running or racing, it will repeatedly chew or grind its teeth against the “bit” (the metal piece in its mouth). Many people now say “chomping at the bit”. Is that correct or is it a malaprop? Read this NPR article and find out. https://www.npr.org/sections/memmos/2016/06/09/605796769/chew-on-this-is-it-chomping-or-champing

A shout out to Jack for hearing this one and sending it in.