chip on your shoulder
Chip on your shoulder (phrase) means a lasting resentment or sense of grievance that makes someone quick to take offence, argue or feel looked down on. Example: “He has a chip on his shoulder about not going to university.”
How to use chip on your shoulder
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishBeing touchy and resentful because you feel you have been treated unfairly.
Informal. Calling someone out for it is confrontational.
The possessive changes with the person: a chip on his shoulder, a chip on their shoulder. Keep it singular — never chips on your shoulders.
Trace the full origin ↓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.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for chip on your shoulder
See all rhymes for 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.
What is the meaning of chip on your shoulder?
"chip on your shoulder" (phrase) means a lasting resentment or sense of grievance that makes someone quick to take offence, argue or feel looked down on.