What is the Meaning of the Idiom ‘Chip off the Old Block’?

Chip off the old block means a man who behaves like his father or who resembles his father.

As I discussed in the previous article, ‘chip’ in this phrase is a small piece of wood sliced off a larger wooden block. A chip of wood will have all the same qualities that the larger block has.

There are two more expressions that have a similar meaning to this phrase. These are —

1. Like father like son
2. Apple doesn’t fall far from a tree

Both of these phrases suggest a likeness of behavior between a father and a son.

Let’s see an example —

‘He’s a chip off the old block — he is as fine a detective as his father was.’

It means he is very similar to his father in nature and skills.

I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.

Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.