CHOP

To cut by striking repeatedly with a sharp instrument; to cut into pieces; to mince; -- often with up.

To sever or separate by one more blows of a sharp instrument; to divide; -- usually with off or down. Chop off your hand, and it to the king. Shak.

To seize or devour greedily; -- with up. [Obs.] Upon the opening of his mouth he drops his breakfast, which the fox presently chopped up. L'estrange.

To make a quick strike, or repeated strokes, with an ax or other sharp instrument.

To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize. Out of greediness to get both, he chops at the shadow, and loses the substance. L'Estrange.

To interrupt; -- with in or out. This fellow interrupted the sermon, even suddenly chopping in. Latimer.

To barter or truck.

To exchange; substitute one thing for another. We go on chopping and changing our friends. L'Estrange. To chop logic, to dispute with an affected use of logical terms; to argue sophistically.

To purchase by way of truck.

To vary or shift suddenly; as, the wind chops about.

To wrangle; to altercate; to bandy words. Let not the counsel at the bar chop with the judge. Bacon.

A change; a vicissitude. Marryat.

To crack. See Chap, v. t. & i.

The act of chopping; a stroke.

A piece chopped off; a slice or small piece, especially of meat; as, a mutton chop.

A crack or cleft. See Chap.

A jaw of an animal; -- commonly in the pl. See Chops.

A movable jaw or cheek, as of a wooden vise.

The land at each side of the mouth of a river, harbor, or channel; as, East Chop or West Chop. See Chops.

Quality; brand; as, silk of the first chop.

A permit or clearance. Chop dollar, a silver dollar stamped to attest its purity. -- chop of tea, a number of boxes of the same make and quality of leaf. -- Chowchow chop. See under Chowchow. -- Grand chop, a ship's port clearance. S. W. Williams.