You’re listening to British Council’s English Online and I’m Nina.
Today on Language Snacks we take a look at the expression a chip off the old block.
Let’s listen to the dialogue.
A: Guess who I saw the other day?
B: Go on, who?
A: Helen! And guess what? She's joined the police, just like her dad.
B: Really? She's a chip off the old block, isn't she?
A: Yes! She was always very similar to her dad though, wasn't she?
When we describe someone as a chip off the old block, we mean that they are similar to one or both of their parents. It could be about their appearance or their behaviour. The expression comes from carpentry and the idea is that the parent is a 'block' of wood, and the child is a small 'chip' of the same material. A famous example of a chip off the old block is George W.Bush, who, just like his father, went into politics and, of course, became the president of the Unites States.
“A chip off the old block” 这个表达方法说的是某人与他/她的父母很相像。这既可以指相貌方面相像，比如说“一个模子出来的”，也可以指他们所做的事情。咱们的笑星侯耀文无论是从长相还是职业与他父亲侯宝林一脉相承，我们可以说”He’s a chip off the old block”。
And that’s it for now – join us again for some more Language Snacks.
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Exercise
1. If we call someone a chip off the old block, we mean they are:
a) good at making furniture
b) police officers
c) similar to their parents
2. What was the 'block' made of in the origin of this expression?
3. Which very well-known international figure is a chip off the old block?
Answers
1. c
2. wood
3. George W.Bush
Tricky words
carpentry : working with wood, for example to make furniture
