Chop chop (phrase)

"Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and was adopted by English seamen.[1] "Chop chop" means "hurry, hurry" and suggests that something should be done now and without any delay. The word "chopsticks" likely originates from this root.[2]

The term may have its origins in the South China Sea, as a Pidgin English version of the Chinese term k'wâi-k'wâi (Chinese: 快快; pinyin: kuài kuài)[1] or may have originated from Malay.

"Chop Chop" was used sparsely during the late 1950s in the Himalayan region of Central Nepal. The phrase was used to signal that a task is of urgency and needed immediate completion or attention. It was however, followed by a greeting word directed at the person who was undertaking the task. This greeting would mostly be 'brother' or of similar arrangement. As times passed, the younger generations started pronouncing it a bit different and somewhat resembling the, now popular, 'bratha'. It has recently made its way into the western culture where it is used in a very similar context among close friends.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Phrase Finder is copyright Gary Martin, 1996-2015. All rights reserved. "Chop-chop". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, 2013. "chop-stick, n.2." Accessed on June 26, 2013.
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