chip 1
— chippable , adj.
/chip/ , n. , v. , chipped, chipping .
n.
1. a small, slender piece, as of wood, separated by chopping, cutting, or breaking.
2. a very thin slice or small piece of food, candy, etc.: chocolate chips.
3. a mark or flaw made by the breaking off or gouging out of a small piece: This glass has a chip.
4. any of the small round disks, usually of plastic or ivory, used as tokens for money in certain gambling games, as roulette or poker; counter.
5. Also called microchip . Electronics. a tiny slice of semiconducting material, generally in the shape of a square a few millimeters long, cut from a larger wafer of the material, on which a transistor or an entire integrated circuit is formed. Cf. microprocessor .
6. a small cut or uncut piece of a diamond or crystal.
7. anything trivial or worthless.
8. something dried up or without flavor.
9. a piece of dried dung: buffalo chips.
10. wood, straw, etc., in thin strips for weaving into hats, baskets, etc.
11. Golf. See chip shot .
12. Tennis. a softly sliced return shot with heavy backspin.
13. the strip of material removed by a recording stylus as it cuts the grooves in a record.
14. chips , Chiefly Brit. French fries.
15. chip off the old block , a person who resembles one parent in appearance or behavior: His son is just a chip off the old block.
16. chip on one's shoulder , a disposition to quarrel: You will never make friends if you go around with a chip on your shoulder.
17. in the chips , Slang. wealthy; rich: Don't look down on your old friends now that you're in the chips.
18. when the chips are down , in a discouraging or disadvantageous situation; in bad or pressing times: When the chips are down he proves to be a loyal friend.
v.t.
19. to hew or cut with an ax, chisel, etc.
20. to cut, break off, or gouge out (bits or fragments): He chipped a few pieces of ice from the large cube.
21. to disfigure by breaking off a fragment: to chip the edge of a saucer.
22. to shape or produce by cutting or flaking away pieces: to chip a figure out of wood.
23. Games. to bet by means of chips, as in poker.
24. Tennis. to slice (a ball) on a return shot, causing it to have heavy backspin.
25. Slang. to take (a narcotic drug) occasionally, esp. only in sufficient quantity to achieve a mild euphoria.
26. Chiefly Brit. Sports. to hit or kick (a ball) a short distance forward.
27. Brit. Slang. to jeer or criticize severely; deride; taunt.
28. Australian. to hoe; harrow.
v.i.
29. to break off in small pieces.
30. Golf. to make a chip shot.
31. chip in ,
a. to contribute money or assistance; participate.
b. Games. to bet a chip or chips, as in poker.
c. to interrupt a conversation to say something; butt in: We all chipped in with our suggestions for the reunion.
[ 1300-50; (n.) ME chip (cf. OE cipp plowshare, beam, i.e., piece cut off); (v.) late ME chippen (cf. OE -cippian in forcippian to cut off); akin to MLG, MD kippen to chip eggs, hatch ]
chip 2
/chip/ , v. , chipped, chipping , n.
v.i.
1. to utter a short chirping or squeaking sound; cheep.
n.
2. a short chirping or squeaking cry.
[ 1880-85; var. of CHEEP ]
chip 3
/chip/ , n. Wrestling.
a tricky or special method by which an opponent can be thrown.
[ 1820-30; n. use of chip to trip up; c. G kippen to tip over, ON kippa to pull ]