Dear Geist, What's the difference between champ and chomp, or are they interchangeable? I searched it online and got conflicting results. —Sabella, Cyberspace Dear Dorothy, The answer varies, depending on the source. Champ is the word first used in the term champ at the bit, appearing in English in the 1600s. But since the nineteenth century, chomp at the bit has come to mean the same thing. The Guide to Canadian English Usage reckons they are interchangeable. Champ is mentioned briefly in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary as a second choice for chomp and is “[prob. imitative].” Garner's Modern American Usage agrees that both terms are used for champing [chomping] at the bit. Both Garner's and Canadian English Usage point out that champing appears only in the expression champing at the bit, and that both champing and chomping at the bit describe impatient crunching with no eating. Chomping, on the other hand, can refer to both not-eating or any kind of loud, rude or frantic chewing with eating. At some point the phrase chafing at the bit came into use—but don't get us started! —The Editors
