Dictionary

chipper en · ADJ · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʃɪpə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃɪpɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From English dialectal kipper (“nimble; frisky”), of obscure origin. Perhaps akin to Old Norse kjapt (“briskly; impetuously”), kippa ("to snatch; pull; jerk" > Middle English kippen (“to seize”)), kipra (“to wrinkle; draw tightly”), Norwegian kjapp (“fast; brisk”), Dutch kippen (“to seize; catch; grip”). More at kip.

Meanings

1. Exhibiting a lively optimism; in high spirits, cheerful.
   • Van Halen orders garlic strewn about Lucy's bedroom. she feels a bit chipperer the next morning, so Mina heads off to help poor Harker in Budapest. 2013, Michelle Witte, Faker's Guide to the Classics, page 66:
   • "Sure, but she's not saying." Imrich kicked his feet up on the coffee table, dislodging a pile of research papers — hers, of course — onto the floor. She tried not to twitch. Laiken twitched a lot, and it was irritating. "Personally I think she has the magical ability to not notice she's working for an arguably evil worldwide truth suppression conspiracy. Nobody at the SCP Foundation ought to be that goddamn chipper." 2022 September 15, HarryBlank, “The Mourning After”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 14 Jun 2024:
   • The idea of a merchant selling both totems of pure evil and frozen yogurt (he calls it frogurt!) is amusing in itself, as is the idea that frogurt could be cursed, but it’s really the Shopkeeper’s quicksilver shift from ominous doomsaying to chipper salesmanship that sells the sequence. 2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”, in AV Club:

Forms

Deriveds

chipper up · chipperly · unchipper · chipperness

Translations (7)

cs čiperný (exhibiting a lively optimism) · cs čilý (exhibiting a lively optimism) · nl goedgemutst (exhibiting a lively optimism) · de überschwänglich (exhibiting a lively optimism) · fi iloinen (exhibiting a lively optimism) · cs živý (exhibiting a lively optimism) · de quietschfidel (exhibiting a lively optimism)

chipper en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʃɪpə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃɪpɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

From chip + -er.

Meanings

1. Someone who or something which chips (e.g. wood).
   • Used for chopping large blocks of chocolate into small pieces, a chocolate chipper looks like a large fork with six thin, very sharp, pointed metal fingers. To use the chipper, hold it straight up and down and press it firmly[…] 2012 December 4, Carole Bloom, Truffles, Candies, and Confections: Techniques and Recipes for Candymaking [A Cookbook], Ten Speed Press, →ISBN, page 14:
2. (US, in particular) Someone who or something which chips (e.g. wood). ▸ A machine that reduces organic matter to compost; depending on size, whole tree trunks are reduced to sawdust; a woodchipper.
   • NR workers feed the cleared vegetation into a chipper. 2025 March 5, David Stubbings, “Network News: NR wages war on Welsh vegetation encroachment”, in RAIL, number 1030, page 21, image caption:
3. Someone who or something which chips (e.g. wood). ▸ A machine that chips potatoes into pieces that are ready to be fried and made into chips.
4. (East, Ireland, North, Scotland, slang) A fish and chip shop, or more generally a cheap fast food outlet, typically selling chips and other deep-fried foods.
   • 'Yes, and CCTV on the drink link and at Fabio's chipper.' 2023, Sam Blake, The Mystery of Four:
5. A company that manufactures potato chips/potato crisps.
   • Pet Inc.'s Laura Scudder division, a West Coast region chipper, has revamped its Dittos brand stack chips. 1978, Joan Dye Gussow, The Feeding Web: Issues in Nutritional Ecology, page 151:
   • Bichel asked chippers several thought-provoking questions about potato procurement, storage and handling. 1974, Potato Chipper, volume 33, numbers 16-27, page 25:
6. A player who chips the ball.
7. A golf club for making chip shots.
8. (slang) A deep frier.
9. (US) An occasional tobacco user, or more generally drug user.
10. (slang) Killer.

Forms

Relateds

blue-chipper · bread chipper

Synonyms

greasy spoon (cheap food store) · chippy (cheap food store) · hole-in-the-wall (cheap food store)

Translations (18)

fr hache-paille (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · nl frituur (deep frier) · fi hakkuri (woodchipper) (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · fi snagari (cheap fast food outlet) · nl friteuse (deep frier) · fr broyeur (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · fi haketin (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · fi silppuri (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · nl hakselaar (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · de Schredder (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · fi pikaruokapaikka (cheap fast food outlet) · nl friettent (cheap fast food outlet) · fi jätesilppuri (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · fi uppopaistin (deep frier) · cs štěpkovač (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · nl snackbar (cheap fast food outlet) · pt triturador (machine that reduces organic matter to compost) · de Häcksler (machine that reduces organic matter to compost)

chipper en · VERB · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• /ˈtʃɪpə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Australia) audio
• /ˈt͡ʃɪpɚ/ (General-American)

Etymology

Compare cheep, chirp.

Meanings

1. (UK, dialectal) To chirp or chirrup.
   • [a squirrel] […] eyeing me inquisitively, chippering, and shaking his tail 1884, Clinton Hart Merriam, The Mammals of the Adirondack Region, Northeastern New York:

Forms