chip on your shoulder
4 synonyms for chip on your shoulder, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Phrase — A lasting resentment or sense of grievance that makes someone quick to take offence, argue or feel looked down on.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
axe to grind
bee in your bonnet
How to use chip on your shoulder
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
a chip on his shoulder
carry a chip on your shoulder
a massive chip on her shoulder
play with a chip on their shoulder
Informal. Calling someone out for it is confrontational.
Etymology
From an American practice of placing a wood chip on one's shoulder and daring another person to knock it off as a challenge to fight; the phrase is recorded in this literal sense before becoming figurative.
Full origin of chip on your shoulder →Frequently asked questions
Is having a chip on your shoulder always negative?
Usually, yes — it suggests touchiness and misplaced anger. In sport and business writing it has softened into something close to a compliment, describing an underdog whose resentment at being dismissed becomes motivation.
What is the difference between a chip on your shoulder and an axe to grind?
A chip on your shoulder is a general, diffuse resentment aimed at the world or a group. An axe to grind is a specific hidden agenda in a particular argument — you are pushing a case because it serves you, not out of principle.
Where does the phrase come from?
From a literal challenge: a man would balance a chip of wood on his shoulder and invite anyone spoiling for a fight to knock it off. The figurative sense of walking around looking for offence grew directly out of that image.
