English · Idiom Historical

chip of the old block

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A child which physically or morally resembles its father. BROTHER CHIP, one of the same trade or profession. Originally brother carpenter, now general.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

một đứa trẻ giống cha về thể chất hoặc đạo đức

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)

Where it’s used: Origin British & Irish English

Sources & notes

Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “chip of the old block” mean?

A child which physically or morally resembles its father. BROTHER CHIP, one of the same trade or profession. Originally brother carpenter, now general.

Is “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.

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