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chops

chops

1 3.7
Hair grown on the sides of the face in front of the ears
  • noun
  • /tʃɑps/
  • UK
: patillas
  • After months of growing, his chops were thick and well-defined.
  • lamb chops
  • pork chops

Examples

  • I WANTED THEM PORK CHOPS.

  • AND SOME PORK CHOPS.

  • - LAMB CHOPS.

  • He styled his chops to match his unique look for the party.

  • The actor was famous for his distinctive chops that set him apart from others.

Synonyms

facial hair
vschops
27 1.0

Hair that grows on the face, like a beard or mustache

is only hair on the sides in front of the ears, not all face hair
sideburn
vschops
27 4.3

A strip of hair on each side of the face in front of the ear

is an alternate name for that same facial hair
mutton chop
vschops
3 8.2

Facial hair where long sideburns run down the face in front of the ears

is any side facial hair even when other facial hair remains
side-whiskers
vschops
1 7.9

A strip of hair on each side of a man's face in front of the ears

is a general term for side facial hair without insisting the rest is shaved
burnside
vschops
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A strip of hair along the face beside the ears with the chin shaved

is an alternate name for that same strip of facial hair
1 7.1

Facial hair that grows thick along the jaw and down the cheeks

is only side hair near the ears and not an extension from upper lip hair
mutton chops
vschops
5.3

Thick sideburns that grow down the cheeks and reach the jaw

is the shorter or thinner form rather than the long style

Idioms

14 9.0

To tease or nag someone, often in a playful way

1 8.7

To tease or nag someone in a way that annoys them

Compounds

cheeky chops
  • Baby Talk
8.9

A person, often a child, who speaks or acts in a bold, playful, slightly rude way

Pieces of sheep meat, usually from the ribs, cooked and served as a meal

Thick sideburns that grow down the cheeks and reach the jaw

How Long

chops
  • UK
1 3.7
stubble
17 4.2

Surface Forms

chop singular
chops plural

Morphology

chops = mutton-chops + chop (opaque) = chop + s

Usually a clipped form from 'mutton-chops' (a phrase referring to facial hair); the connection to 'chop' (meat or cut) is not a productive or transparent derivation for learners.

Etymology

Chops for sideburns comes from an old word for the 'jaw' or 'cheek' and from the name mutton-chops for a cut of meat, because the face hair looks like that meat on the side of the face. So chops means the hair grown at the sides of the face.