Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US, also chaw up) to mangle, to get the better of, to surpass, to destroy; often as chawed (up) adj. (cf. chew up v. (1)).

1838		J.C. Neal Charcoal Sketches (1865) 43: I’ll chaw up any indewidoowal that’s fairly my match.
1844		Cork Examiner 16 Sept. 4/4: I’ve 3,000 acres, two sugar plantations, 150 negurs, and I reckon I can chaw up the best man in this town.
1847		J.S. Robb Streaks of Squatter Life 63: I heerd Tom Jones swar he’d ‘chaw me up, ef an inch big of me was found in them diggins in the mornin’.
1851		Western Times 25 Oct. 5/2: The Lloydites think £100 will be sufficient to enable them to ‘chaw up’ all opposition.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 94: Pounding away [...] and, to use an Americanism, ‘chawing up’ the ministry at a tremendous rate.
1862		‘Artemus Ward’ Artemus Ward, His Book 143: When the fair Elizy recovered from her delight at meetin Moses, she said — ‘How hast the battle gonest? Tell me!’ ‘We chawed ’em up – that’s what we did!’ said the bold Moses.
1876		‘Dan de Quille’ Big Bonanza (1947) 289: The two of us could chaw up the town – we’d be a terror to it.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 23 Sept. 2/2: Let them wrangle and light and ‘chaw’ each other up.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Mar. 14/2: While Donald Dinnie and Graham were on the war-path in the back-blocks, rumours by the score used to reach Sydney as to the manner in which the pair said they could chaw up Larry Foley, either with or without the ‘mittens’, Graham going so far, it was alleged, as to state that he could put our champion through with one hand only.
1894		‘The Rocks Push Eisteddfod’ in Bird o’ Freedom (Sydney) in J. Murray Larrikins (1973) 88: Such a biffing push of biffers ne’er before were on that beach, / Such ‘chawing’ and such ‘jobbing’ and such ‘give ’em Bondi’ tricks.
1895		Sheffield Eve. Teleg. 18 Dec. 3/1: The whole fleet [...] which a few of our best battleships could ’chaw up’ without much difficulty.
1923		M. Garahan Stiffs 251: The crowd [...] at once assembled to watch the ‘chawing up’.

2. (US campus) to trick, to hoax.

1842		Dartmouth IV 117: A Junior cracked a joke on me, when all standing round, shouted in great glee, ‘Chawed! Freshman chawed!’ [...] I didn’t understand, when a fellow is used up, he is said to be chawed [DA].
1909		DN III 298: Chaw, v. tr., [...] to hack or guy one.

3. (US) used in oaths, e.g. chaw me up if...

1855		Cork Examiner 3 Dec. 4/4: Chaw me if liberty ain’t a long sight better off in the hands of that old possum Nicholas.
1908		L.W. Payne Jr ‘Word-List From East Alabama’ in DN III:iv 298: chaw, v. To get the better of in a contest of obscene repartee.
1959		Vermont Hist. new ser. 27 129: Well, I’ll be sweetly chawed up! [DARE].

4. to arrest; thus chawry goods, stolen property.

1989

J. Morton Lowspeak 37: Chaw – to arrest, particularly pickpockets on the underground. Chawry goods – stolen property.