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--CopyToWiktionaryBot 02:08, 30 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This article needs to be cleaned up. The quotes need citations. I realise that this may not be possible for all of them, but for all we know someone could have just made something up and put it on the page. Also, the first quote is very poorly written: "When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be places on the shoulder of one, and the other demanded to knock it off at his peril." This doesn't make sense at all, and should read something like this: "When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be placed on the shoulder of one, and he demanded the other to knock it off at his peril."

Whoever wrote this stuff is either completely lying or can't copy properly.

The first phrase (places for placed), I think you're right. As for the second, the original makes much more sense than your edit.

I could be completely wrong but the idea of taxpayers as used here, "By 1756, this privilege had been abused and was costing taxpayers too much" seems anachronistic. In 1756 I doubt they would have had the same conception of taxpayers and the taxpayer's money as we frequently use them. System of government and view of the relationship between government and citizens being different. 2601:40E:100:1540:9547:B573:FD29:9F74 (talk) 07:38, 13 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The term "abuse" also assumes a lot on an issue that was, at the time, disputed, and I don't think should be used in a factual statement. I'm not sure which source this claim comes from but I'd say it needs to be more clearly cited, and it should state who had made claims the system was being abused. If that's a judgement made in a secondary source then perhaps it should be quoted? 77.203.251.34 (talk) 10:28, 21 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]

The section that warns the Wikipedia reader about the Irish sense of humour is uncalled-for and unencylcopedic. It has no place here. In fact, the writer of this part has a chip on his shoulder! Also, the note about it not necessarily referring to a desire to fight in Britain and Ireland could also apply to the US.

Appears to by copied from [www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/92100.html] —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.86.161.147 (talk) 09:11, 10 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This isn't really an encyclopedia article — it's a dictionary definition and etymological background of a phrase, which belongs in a dictionary, not an encyclopedia. Accordingly this article should be moved to Wiktionary. Bearcat (talk) 18:53, 18 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"Oh! if I only could get him to knock a chip off my shoulder, and so get round the law"

What law are they referring to?

I heard a different explanation for this phrase a while ago on radio 4, can't remember quite where on that channel and have no source. It went like this

Ship yards use to let workers take waste wood home to heat their homes. At some point a new owner started to strictly enforce a maximum size policy on these off-cuts and in order to enforce this policy declared that workers must carry these chips on their shoulders when leaving work. This caused a lot of resentment and so the meaning developed to appy to people who feel resentment at what they see as unfair treatment resulting from their position in an undeclass.Pete the pitiless (talk) 17:42, 28 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That was sloppy, a short search found this http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/chip-on-your-shoulder.html which mentions the theory and refutes it.Pete the pitiless (talk) 17:56, 28 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"To have a chip on one's shoulder is to hold a grudge or grievance that readily provokes disputation."

Can a grudge or grievance provoke disputation? Surely:

or similar versions? Alphonsoore (talk) 22:50, 12 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]