to have one's chips - Glite Dictionary

Examples

If they lose this match, they will have their chips!
After the scandal, the company really had its chips.
If he keeps making mistakes like this, he'll have his chips by the end of the month.
She lied to the boss, and now she might have her chips at the company.
If he doesn't change his attitude, he'll have his chips and lose his job.
The team had their chips after losing three games in a row.
After missing the deadline, she knew she would have her chips with her supervisor.

Synonyms

high and dry

vsto have one's chips

Informal

15 6.3

Someone has no help or basic things in a difficult situation

suggests complete defeat and no way back rather than just lack of help

shit out of luck

vsto have one's chips

Offensive

1 9.9

In a situation with no choice and no help to fix a problem

focuses more on final defeat or being in serious trouble rather than luck

up the creek without a paddle

vsto have one's chips

Informal

1 9.9

A very bad situation with no way to fix it

is the same hopelessness but is informal British phrasing

up the river without a paddle

vsto have one's chips

Informal

1 9.9

To be in a difficult situation with no way out

is the same hopelessness but is informal British phrasing

to had their chips

vsto have one's chips

UK

9.9

To have no chance or choice left

is the same meaning but stated as a general present form

to had my chips

vsto have one's chips

Slang

9.9

To be in a situation with no chance to succeed

is the same idea but used to report a past personal situation

screwed, blued and tattooed

vsto have one's chips

Archaic

9.9

Being in very big trouble because of something you did

refers more generally to being trapped in trouble without stressing punishment

Antonyms

safe

∞ 1.0

Not likely to be harmed or in danger

strong position

9 3.9

A situation that gives someone more power in talks or competition

Surface Forms

have one's chips infinitive

had one's chips past

had one's chips past participle

having one's chips present participle

has one's chips third person singular

Morphology

have + one + chip

The literal parts ('have' + 'one's' + 'chips' as tokens) do not straightforwardly yield the sense 'to be in serious trouble or defeated'; the expression relies on a culture-specific/gambling metaphor and British informal usage that is not predictable from the constituents. Even if learners know 'chip' as a token, the resultant idiomatic meaning is not transparently inferable, so it will be unpredictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

Have one's chips may come from old gambling tables, where small betting tokens called chips were used to play. If a player lost all their chips or had to give them up, they were out of the game, so the phrase came to mean 'to be in serious trouble', defeated, or with no way back.