Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A form of
challenge , in the same spirit as a medieval knight throwing down hisgauntlet . - noun idiomatic A habitually
combative attitude, usually because of a harboured grievance, sense of inferiority, or having something to prove. - noun idiomatic A tendency to take
offence quickly.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
The saying originated during the 19th century in the United States, where people wanting a physical fight would carry a chip of wood on their shoulder, daring others to knock it off. Printed citations of this include the Long Island Telegraph, which on May 20th, 1830, printed: "When two churlish boys were determined to fight, a chip would be placed on the shoulder of one, and the other demanded to knock it off at his peril."
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Examples
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