Nelly Min

Reader's question:

Could you explain "shake?a leg" and "champ at the bit"?

My comments:

"Shake a leg" means to rouse yourself from sleep and get out of bed. Now it means "to hurry up."

Example: Come on, shake a leg!

"Champ" means to bite or chew (food) noisily like a horse. "Champ at the bit" means to be very eager, to show impatience at being held back or delayed. To champ at the bit is to be ready and anxious to do something. It's based on the idea of a horse chewing on the bit (piece of metal in its mouth that allows a rider to control its movements) when excited or nervous.

Example: The kids were champing at the bit to get into the swimming pool.

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本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發布一切違反國家現行法律法規的內容。

Nelly Min?is a journalist at the China Daily website.