A Chump Was a Block of Wood First
A chump is a foolish person. The word began as a name for a thick lump of wood, which is where the insult comes from.
A chump is a foolish or gullible person, in mild and slightly old-fashioned slang. The insult is a wood joke: *chump* first meant a short thick block of wood, probably a blend of *chunk* and *lump*, and calling someone a blockhead works the same way. British slang later used *chump* for the head itself, giving *off his chump*, meaning out of his mind. A chump chop is a cut of lamb from the thick end of the loin.
- A foolish person. *Don't be a chump.*
- A block of wood. *A chump of oak.*
- Off your chump — mad, British. *He's off his chump.*
- Chump chop — a cut of lamb. *Two chump chops.*
- Chump change — a trivial sum, American. *That's chump change.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | chump | A poor chump. |
| Plural | chumps | A pair of chumps. |
| Compound | chump chop | A chump chop. |
| Phrase | off his chump | He's off his chump. |
| Related | chunk | A chunk of wood. |
- I felt like a right chump.Mild self-mockery.
- Two chump chops, please.Butchery.
- A million is chump change to them.American.
Insults built from solid objects
- Chump — a block of wood
- Blockhead — a head made of wood
- Numbskull — a skull that feels nothing
- Thick — dense, British for stupid
- Dense — the same image, slightly more polite
Recorded from the 1700s, probably a blend of *chunk* and *lump*. The sense of a foolish person dates from the mid-1800s.
Is chump offensive?
It is mild and slightly dated. It implies gullibility rather than deep stupidity and is often used of oneself.
What is chump change?
American slang for a trivially small amount of money, too small to matter.