# chew the meat and spit out the bones

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/chew-the-meat-and-spit-out-the-bones
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To take in a great deal of information and selectively disregard some of it as invalid or inapplicable.

## Examples

- Read the report, chew the meat and spit out the bones.
- When you research this topic, you should chew the meat and spit out the bones to find the most useful facts.
- The expert advised the students to chew the meat and spit out the bones while analyzing the outdated historical documents for relevant insights.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.