Chippie/chippy

Origin of: Chippie/chippy

Chippie/chippy

British slang for either a carpenter or a fish and chip shop and dates in both senses from the late 19th century. Carpenters aboard ships have been called chips since the 18th century, presumably because they chip away at wood. Thus, chippie or chippy meaning a carpenter is simply a variation that came later. In North America, chippie can mean a promiscuous woman or a prostitute, an abbreviation of chipping-bird, and dates from the late 19th century. In North America, chippy can also mean belligerent or bad-tempered, also dating from the late 19th century, and deriving from the expression chip on one’s shoulder.