La palabra del día: masticar
masticar - to masticate, to chew; to ruminate or meditate
Post your sentences and vote for the ones you like. The correct answer will be chosen tomorrow on the basis of the biggest number of votes.
Una pesadilla de un vegetariano:
Estaba masticando un bistec muy fibroso cuando el toro llamó a la puerta y dijo: "Devuélveme el cuello!"
A vegetarian's nightmare:
I was chewing at a stringy steak when the bull rang to my door and said: "Give me back my neck!"
15 Answers
Yo siempre duermo con mi boca abierta, Hoy, me desperté masticando un ratoncito.
I always sleep with my mouth open. Today I woke up chewing a little mouse.
Cuando yo sea viejo, espero tener mi dentadura natural para poder masticar la comida.
When I'm old, I hope I have my natural set of teeth so I can chew my food.
Let me suggest that you guys use another word like reflexionar or contemplar instead of masticar. When you are talking about eating and chewing, masticar is widely understood, but when it is used to say that you are meditating or contemplating and idea I don’t think it is very common. My concern is that most of you guys are not using it properly. For an exercise it is ok but please try to stay away from it in a conversation.
For example the sentence that Daniel submitted: "Tengo un problema hoy con el diseño sísmico del edificio; voy a dar un paseo y masticaré sobre la solución."
I don’t even know if this is correct or not. After looking at some definitions I’m still confused about it.
Instead you can say: “…voy a dar un paseo y reflexionaré sobre la solución.” --- This is even a lot easier for you to understand because this word is similar to “to reflect.”
I see a lot of these words here sometimes and I’m just afraid you are not using them the right way. I wish that somebody else that really knows would comment on this. Thank you.
Pero mientras la carne estaba aún entre sus dientes, antes que la masticaran, la ira del SEÑOR se encendió contra el pueblo, y el SEÑOR hirió al pueblo con una plaga muy mala.
But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.
La primera vez que aprendió a cocinar, los filetes que hice fueron difíciles de masticar.
When I first learned to cook, the steaks I made were difficult to chew. 
El filósofo inglés Francis Bacon escribió: “Algunos libros son para probarlos, otros para devorarlos y unos pocos para masticarlos y digerirlos”
English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.”
Robetico said: Let me suggest that you guys use another word like reflexionar or contemplar instead of masticar.
I agree with Robertico. The figurative use may be common English, but I rarely hear or see it used this way in Spanish. Early on I tried using it and was corrected with 'reflexionar'. Perhaps it is used figuratively in certain regions?
Could one of our native members give their input? 
No puedo masticar mi alimento, tengo que chuparlo porque no tengo dientes.
I cannot chew my food, I have to suck it because I have no teeth,
Amigos les gusta reunirse y hablar sobre sus vidas. En español, dicen "estar de charla". En ingés, dicen "masticar la grasa" o "to chew the fat".
IFriends like to meet and talk about their lives. In Spanish, they say "estar de charla". In English, they say ""masticar la grasa" or "to chew the fat".
El libro parecía masticado después de que se termine de utilizarlo para el estudio.
¡Mi perro masticó mis zapatos favoritos! ¡Que chucho apestoso sucio!
My dog chewed my favorite shoes! That dirty, stinking mutt! 
Y yo le grité: “¡Como mastica ese mellao!”
And I shouted to him: "Hows this gap-toothed chew!"
Del exito canción de Julio Voltio, "El Mellao". Very funny y tambien, lo explica mucho de ese palabra. Si no sabes, la palabra tiene dos significados. 
masticar:
"Tengo una problema hoy con el desiño sísmico de un edificio; voy a dar un paseo y masticaré sobre la solución."
(Today I have a problem with the earthquake design of a building; I am giong to take a little walk and chew over the solution.)
El professor masticó, y escupió, los malos argumentos del estudiante!
Comúnmente se dice que uno debería masticar su comida por lo menos 30 veces antes de tragar, pero esa es solo una cuenta de viejas.
Shanelynch espera dar algo para masticar en con su nueva columna. / Shanelynch hopes to give us something to chew on (meditate on) with his new column.
