A chip on your shoulder is a lasting resentment about being treated unfairly. People say someone has a chip on their shoulder when that person believes life has been unfair to them, for example because of their background or education, and so gets annoyed easily. It is a critical judgement: saying it to someone's face will offend them.
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have a chip on your shoulder (about + noun/-ing); with a chip on his/her shoulder
- Dan has a chip on his shoulder about his accent and thinks everyone is laughing at him.
- She came to the meeting with a chip on her shoulder and argued with everyone.
What changed
First versionMy cousin has a chip on the shoulder about being short.
RevisionMy cousin has a chip on his shoulder about being short.
The may seem enough here, but with parts of the body English usually needs a possessive word: on his shoulder, on my shoulder. The was changed to his.
Hold a grudge against someone means staying angry with a particular person about a particular thing they did: She still holds a grudge against her old boss. A chip on your shoulder is broader: it is a constant resentment towards people in general because of your situation. In an essay, resentment or feel resentful is more neutral.
Your turn
Jake thinks people look down on him because he grew up poor, so he has ___ and gets angry at the smallest joke.
Show the answer
a chip on his shoulder — Jake is sure people look down on him because he grew up poor, and he gets angry at any joke. That is exactly this kind of lasting resentment: a chip on his shoulder. A lot on his plate means having a lot to deal with and has nothing to do with resentment.
Describe a character from a film or book who feels bitter towards the whole world. Write why they feel this way and how it shows.
In the film, the young boxer has a chip on his shoulder because nobody believed in him, so he picks fights even with his own coach.
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