chew the scenery

== English == === Alternative forms === chew on the scenery, chew up the scenery === Etymology === Its earliest reference is listed in the Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang as being used by Mary Hallock Foote in Coeur D'Alene in 1894.[1] === Pronunciation === === Verb === chew the scenery (third-person singular simple present chews the scenery, present participle chewing the scenery, simple past and past participle chewed the scenery) (idiomatic, performing arts) To display excessive emotion or to act in an exaggerated manner while performing; to be melodramatic; to be flamboyant. Synonyms: ham it up, melodramatize, overact, tear a cat Near-synonym: camp it up ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang