Chips Are Fries in America and Crisps Are Chips
A chip is a small piece broken off something. The food sense splits neatly across the Atlantic.
A chip is a small piece broken or cut from something harder. The food terms cross over neatly: British *chips* are thick fried potato sticks, which Americans call *fries*; American *chips* are thin fried slices, which the British call *crisps*. Order chips in the wrong country and you get the other thing. A silicon *chip* is named for the small piece cut from a wafer, and *a chip on your shoulder* is American, from a boy daring others to knock a wood chip off.
- A small broken piece. *A chip of stone.*
- Fried potato (British). *Fish and chips.*
- A crisp (American). *A bag of chips.*
- A microchip. *A silicon chip.*
- A gambling token. *Poker chips.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | chip | A chip. |
| Plural | chips | Chips. |
| Verb | chip | Chipped. |
| Adjective | chipped | Chipped. |
| Compound | microchip | A microchip. |
- The mug has a chip in it.Damage.
- Fish and chips for supper.British.
- The chip holds a processor.Computing.
Chip idioms
- A chip on your shoulder — from a boy daring others to knock it off
- A chip off the old block — resembling a parent
- When the chips are down — at the decisive moment, from gambling
- Cash in your chips — quit, or die
- Chip in — contribute, also from gambling stakes
Old English *cipp*, a small piece of wood, of Germanic origin.
What are chips in Britain and America?
British chips are thick fried potato sticks, called fries in America. American chips are thin fried slices, called crisps in Britain.
Where does a chip on your shoulder come from?
From an American custom where a boy would balance a wood chip on his shoulder and dare anyone to knock it off.