Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also chaw one’s cud, chew one’s cud, suck one’s cud) to ponder, to think something over.

1600		N. Breton Pasquil’s Madcappe in Grosart (1879) I 7/2: The other minstrels may goe chew their cuddes.
1607		Rowlands Diogenes Lanthorne 7: He chawes the Cud in contemplation of Bonds and Billes.
1647		J. Cleveland Poem in Character of a London-Diurnall 15: Our dinner was so good, My liquorish Muse cannot but chew the cood.
1656		‘Basilius Musophilus’ Don Zara Del Fogoy 9: Thus chewing the cud of courage, he rode on in much vexation.
1663		J. Wilson Cheats I iv: Chew the cud upon this for present.
1677		Otway Cheats of Scapin II i: Here he comes, mumbling and chewing the Cud.
c.1673		Rochester ‘A Ramble in St. James’s Park’ Works (1721) 84: Loath’d and depriv’d, kick’d out of Town, / Into some dirty Hole alone, / To chew the Cud of Misery.
1696		J. Dunton Night-Walker Oct. 6: We would Chew our Cudd upon the thoughts of past pleasures.
1704		Swift Tale of a Tub 57: They nightly adjourn to chew the Cud of Politicks.
1748		Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 331: The person of honour did not think fit to carry on the altercation any further, but seemed to chew the cud of her resentment.
1760		G. Colman Polly Honeycombe 23: Here, mistress Malapert, stay here, if you please, and chew the cud of disobedience and mischief in private.
1768		A. Ross Helenore in Wattie Scot. Works (1938) 114: An’ never a look wi’ Lindy did let fa’, / But chaw’d her cood on what she heard an’ saw.
1794		W. Godwin Caleb Williams (1966) 247: But, as it was, I had no leisure to chew the cud upon misfortunes as they befel me.
1796		Watty and Meg 2: Some war roarin’, ithers sleepet, / Ithers quietly chewt their cude.
1812		W. Combe Doctor Syntax, Picturesque (1868) 102/2: We have our pedant tradesmen too, / Who talk as if they something knew, / And learning’s cud pretend to chew.
1843		T. Haliburton Sam Slick in England I 23: So I sits down again to chaw the cud of vexation.
1858		R.S. Surtees Ask Mamma 332: Then as they sugared and flavoured their tumblers, they chewed the cud of Sir Moses’s eloquence.
1862		in R.G. Carter Four Brothers in Blue (1978) 15 Dec. 205: Each man [...] industriously chewing the cud of bitter reflection.
1891		G.R. Sims ‘The Welshman in London’ Dagonet Ditties 128: He sought for a mountain to sit on its brow, / And give off his lay after chewing the cud.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Apr. 24/1: Long journey from the ‘Oxboro’ to Sydney supplies ample opportunity for backers to chew the cud over the rottenness of their end of the game.
1914		S. Lewis Our Mr Wrenn (1936) 101: Mr. Wrenn, chewing and chewing and chewing the cud of thought in his room.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 238: He chewed his cud a second.
1936		W. Holtby South Riding (1988) 289: Astell was left staring at the ink-splashed table, chewing the bitter cud of self-contempt.
1941		D. Davison ‘Return of the Hunter’ in Mann Coast to Coast 108: Lying out in front it had been his habit to go over these things ruminatively, chewing a quiet cud of satisfaction.
1958		E. Dundy Dud Avocado (1960) 104: Zop-zop chewed his cud for a while and then made one of his few utterances.
1972		D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 159: He had been down in Hose Manning’s room chewin’ on his cud, as he put it.
1989		P. Benchley Lush 53: He sucked his cud and thought of something to say.
1995		I. Rankin Let It Bleed 121: So Rebus chewed the cud with him.

2. to chew tobacco; thus cud-chewer, one who chews tobacco.

1836		M. Scott Cruise of the Midge I 220: Donovan was chewing his cud – quid I mean.
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 192: There are too many cud-chewers and pants-hitchers [...] gyrating around in this —.