- Meaning
- This idiom refers to someone who harbors a grudge, feels resentful, or is quick to take offense, often due to perceived slights or a sense of inferiority. The ‘chip’ symbolizes a lingering grievance that makes the person combative or defensive, as if they’re daring others to knock it off. It’s used to describe prickly, confrontational attitudes rooted in past wrongs or insecurities.
- Origin
- Originating in 19th-century America, the phrase comes from a custom where men would place a woodchip on their shoulder, challenging others to knock it off as a provocation to fight. The earliest known reference is in the 1843 *New York Weekly Tribune*, which describes boys placing a chip on their shoulder and daring others to start a brawl. By the 1850s, it was a common metaphor for belligerence, appearing in literature and journalism. Its use spread to describe emotional rather than physical readiness to fight, reflecting American individualism and sensitivity to honor.
- Variants
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- Chip on your shoulder
- Have a chip on your shoulder
- Examples
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- He’s got a chip on his shoulder about being overlooked for the promotion, snapping at everyone in the office.
- She has a chip on her shoulder from years of being underestimated, always ready to prove herself.
- With a chip on his shoulder, he took every critique as a personal attack during the meeting.
- Her chip on her shoulder about her upbringing made her fiercely competitive in the corporate world.
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