Chop chop (phrase)

"Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and has been in North America since the 19th century. "Chop chop" refers to "hurry, hurry" and means, something should be done now, advance and without any delay. Although the word "chop" appears in chopstick and chop suey as well, their original roots are found in different Chinese words.

This term has 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]. The earliest known citation of chop-chop in print is from the English language newspaper that was printed in Canton in the early 19th century - The Canton Register, 13 May 1834: "We have also... 'chop-chop hurry'."

In Afghanistan among local nationals and Pakistani jingle truck drivers, it is a common slang phrase. Different from the typical English use, the term is used to refer to Halal (a Muslim concept similar to kosher) meals or just food. Workers coming in contact with American Forces began to use this term when asking for something to eat. It is not exactly known how the phrase came to be. Some soldiers believe that the phrase came about when local nationals were eating and a soldier told them "chop chop" or to eat hastily. The locals took that to be the literal translation of food or to eat.

References

1. ^ http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/chop-chop.html