chip

cash in your chips: seecash.

cheap as chips: seecheap.

a chip off the old block someone who resembles their parent, especially in character. informal

☞ A chip in this expression means something which forms a portion of, or is derived from, a larger or more important thing, and which retains the characteristic qualities of that superior thing. In 1781 Edmund Burke commented on Pitt the Younger's maiden speech in Parliament by saying he was: 'Not merely a chip of the old “block", but the old block itself'.

a chip on your shoulder a strong and usually long-standing inclination to feel resentful or aggrieved, often about a particular thing; a sense of inferiority characterized by a quickness to take offence. informal

☞ In 1830 the Long Island Telegraph described the practice which gave rise to this expression: 'When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be placed on the shoulder of one, and the other demanded to knock it off at his peril'.

have had your chips be dead, dying, or out of contention. British informal

spit chips: seespit.

when the chips are down when you find yourself in a very serious and difficult situation. informal

☞ Chips in this phrase, and in have had your chips above, are gambling chips.