a chip of the old block
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A son «r child of the same stuff as his father. The chip is the same wood as the block. Burke applied the words to William Pitt.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a chip of the old block” mean?
A son «r child of the same stuff as his father. The chip is the same wood as the block. Burke applied the words to William Pitt.
Is “a chip of the old block” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.