chippy

[chip-ee]

noun, plural chip·pies.

Also chip·pie. Slang.

a promiscuous woman.
a prostitute.

chipping sparrow.

Origin of chippy

1860–65, Americanism; chipp(ing sparrow) + -y²; def. 1 apparently derivative of this sense, or from chip²

chippy

[chip-ee]

noun, plural chip·pies.

a chipmunk.

Origin of chippy

chip(munk) + -y²

chippy

[chip-ee]

adjective, chip·pi·er, chip·pi·est.

Ice Hockey. using or characterized by aggressive, rough play or commission of fouls: a chippy player; a chippy second period.

Canadian. irritable; ill-tempered.

Origin of chippy

1890–95, for def 2; chip¹ (Compare chip on one's shoulder) + -y¹

chippy

⁴

[chip-ee]

noun, plural chip·pies. British Informal.

a carpenter.

a store selling fish and chips.

Origin of chippy

⁴

chip¹ + -y²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for chippy

Contemporary Examples of chippy

For all the glamour of some local residents, the town itself—known to locals as "Chippy" — remains a handsome but modest place.
'World' Players' Secret Getaway
William Underhill
July 17, 2011

Historical Examples of chippy

But Mr. Chippy kept flying back and forth in a great flutter.
The Tale of Grumpy Weasel
Arthur Scott Bailey
And Mr. Chippy said that nothing would please him more than to do just that.
The Tale of Daddy Longlegs
Arthur Scott Bailey
Daddy Longlegs pretended not to hear Mr. Chippy's suggestion.
The Tale of Daddy Longlegs
Arthur Scott Bailey
Most of the company clapped their hands when Mr. Chippy said that.
The Tale of Daddy Longlegs
Arthur Scott Bailey
His name was Mr. Chippy; and he was never known to do anybody the least bit of harm.
The Tale of Jasper Jay
Arthur Scott Bailey

British Dictionary definitions for chippy

chippy

noun plural -pies

British informal a fish-and-chip shop

British and NZ a slang word for carpenter

NZ a potato crisp

Word Origin for chippy

C19: from chip (n)

chippy

adjective -pier or -piest

informal resentful or oversensitive about being perceived as inferiora chippy miner's son

Derived Formschippiness, noun

Word Origin for chippy

C20: from chip (sense 12)

chippy

chippie

noun plural -pies

an informal name for chipmunk, chipping sparrow

chippy

⁴

chippie

noun plural -pies

informal, mainly US and Canadian a promiscuous woman

Word Origin for chippy

C19: perhaps from chip (n)

chippy

⁵

adjective -pier or -piest

belligerent or touchy

Word Origin for chippy

C19: from chip (n), sense probably developing from: as dry as a chip of wood, hence irritable, touchy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for chippy

"promiscuous young woman; prostitute," 1880, U.S. slang, earlier (1864) short for chipping-bird "sparrow," perhaps ultimately a variant of cheep.