chip off the old block

Cultural  

1. An expression used of people who closely resemble their parents in some way: “Mark just won the same sailboat race his father won twenty years ago; he's a chip off the old block.”

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chip off the old block Idioms  

1. A person who closely resembles a parent, as in Like her mother, Karen has very little patience—a chip off the old block. This term, with its analogy to a chip of stone or wood that closely resembles the larger block it was cut from, dates from ancient times (Theocritus, Idyls, c. 270 b.c.). In English it was already a proverb by the 17th century, then often put as chip of the old block.

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Example Sentences

A new story by investigative reporter Michael Isikoff in the SpyTalk newsletter suggests that Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, may be a chip off the old block.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2024

In that regard, he’s a chip off the old block.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 20, 2023

But apart from Donald’s profligacy, he is very much a chip off the old block.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 14, 2020

Occasionally, a chip off the old block makes an appearance.

From Washington Post • May 11, 2017

“I’ve been reading about Ben. It looks like a chip off the old block as far as basketball is concerned.”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy