Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[RedRose]

Today I re-watched a wonderful movie a beautiful mind of which I didn't get an expression: a chip on both shoulders

Here's the context.

John Nash's imaginative roomie: so what's your story? you the poor kid that never got to Exeter or Andover?
Jahn Nash: Despitemy privileged upbringing, I am actually quite well-balanced. I have a chip on both shoulders.

Dear Teachers:

what's "a chip on both shoulders?"?
and what dose the roomie mean by Exeter or Andover?

thanks

[CP]

Exeter and Andover are expensive boarding schools. Poor kids have no chance of getting into either -- or if they did, they might feel very out of place with all the snobs there.

As for the chips, the usual expression is, "He is walking around with a chip on his shoulder," or "He has a chip on his shoulder." (Note the singular shoulder.)

About 50 to 100 years ago in the U.S., if a boy on the playground wanted to pick a fight, he would put a chip of wood on his shoulder and dare anyone to knock it off. Knocking off the chip signaled that you wanted to fight that boy, and in fact started the fight immediately. If no one knocked it off, the boy could brag that everyone was afraid of him.

So anyone walking around with a (figurative) chip on his shoulder is looking for a fight, or at least an argument. Some people always seem to have a chip on the shoulder -- I'm sure you can think of someone right now.

This character is saying that he has not one but two chips, one on each shoulder -- so he's well-balanced. (Of course, if he were really well-balanced, he wouldn't have any chips on either shoulder, so it's a joke against himself.)

Sorry -- I couldn't explain it any shorter than that!
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[RedRose]

Thank you, dear teacher CP.

[asterix]

Thanks CP. I had assumed that a chip on both shoulders would have meant he really wanted to fight, until I read your interesting explanation of the origin of the expression.

[iitimone7]

thanks CP - i had never heard the story before and i thought the same as asterix. superb!! iitimone7

[redset]

I'd never heard the reason behind that phrase before either, that's a great story! I think most people tend to use it to mean that someone has an attitude about something, not necessarily that they're looking for a physical fight. Of course that could be exactly what they're looking for...

[RedRose]

Today I watched this movie AGAIN! you know, it's a great movie, so it's worth watching.

And I noticed that the Chinese subtitle for the dialogue was kinda weird, here you go!: (PS, it's in Chinese, I translate it back in english here)

John Nash's imaginative roomie: so what's your story? you the poor kid that never got to Exeter or Andover?
the subtitle: what's your history? Did you live a poor living in your childhood?

Jahn Nash: Despitemy privileged upbringing, I am actually quite well-balanced. I have a chip on both shoulders.
the subtitle: contrary to your guess, I lived a rich life in my childhood, I even got some chip to eat during that period.


Then the translator didn't get what those characters mean?

[beancurdturtle]

[redset]

[iitimone7]

man in the iron mask - the spanish subtitles are horrible!! i i've only seen a handful of movies with subtitles in another language, so i've got nothing else to report today...iitimone7

[beancurdturtle]

[RedRose]

[beancurdturtle]