gum

beat one's gums

to waste time talking a great deal without results. (As if one were toothless.) I'm tired of beating my gums about this over and over. You're just beating your gums. No one is listening.

See also: beat

flap one's gums and flap one's jaws

Rur. to talk aimlessly. They're still out on the porch, flapping their gums. Well, I can't sit here flapping my jaws all day. Gotta get back to work.

See also: flap

gum something up and gum the works up

Fig. to make something inoperable; to ruin someone's plans. Please, Bill, be careful and don't gum up the works. Tom sure gummed up the whole plan.

See also: up

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be up a gum tree  (British & Australian old-fashioned) also be up a tree (American old-fashioned)

to be in a very difficult situation

Usage notes: A small animal in Australia called a possum climbs up a gum tree when it is being chased.

If the insurance company won't pay for the damage, I'll be up a gum tree.

See also: tree, up

gum up the works

to prevent a machine or system from operating correctly In bad weather, twice as many people use their cars on the road, which really gums up the works.

See be up a gum tree

See also: up, work

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gum up something also

to cause something to stop working well Don't send any attachments or pictures, because they tend to gum up my computer.

Related vocabulary: gum up the works

Etymology: based on the idea of getting gum (a sticky substance) in a machine

See also: up

gum up the works

to prevent a machine or system from operating correctly The project was going really well until that software upgrade gummed up the works.

Related vocabulary: gum up something

See also: up, work

walk and chew gum (at the same time)

to be able to do more than one thing at a time Officials say they have to plan for all kinds of possibilities, that they have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

See also: and, chew, walk