🗓️ Idiom: Have a Chip on One’s Shoulder (phrase)
💬 Meaning
- Feeling angry or upset because of a past problem or unfair experience.
- Reacting quickly or defensively, as if expecting conflict.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The new supervisor seemed to have a chip on her shoulder after being passed over for promotion last year.
- The client had a chip on his shoulder during the call and complained about every small issue from past orders.
- He has a chip on his shoulder whenever the topic of workload comes up, because he feels he was treated unfairly.
🏛️ Origin
This expression comes from a 19th-century custom where someone would place a small piece of wood on their shoulder and challenge others to knock it off. If the chip was knocked off, it meant a fight would begin. Over time, the phrase became a figurative way to describe someone who is ready for conflict because they already feel wronged.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Ever since the complaint meeting, the customer has __________ and reacts sharply to every update.
Answer
a chip on his shoulder
2. Choose the correct answer:
If someone “has a chip on their shoulder,” they are:
a) Very relaxed
b) Still upset about something from the past
c) Not interested in the situation
Answer
b) Still upset about something from the past
3. Change the sentence using “have a chip on one’s shoulder”:
“He reacts angrily in meetings because he still feels wronged by management.”
Answer
He has a chip on his shoulder because he still feels wronged by management.
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