I recently asked the viewers of ‘Credlin’ on Sky News (and listeners to 2GB, 4BC, 2CC and 6PR) to help me solve the mystery of ‘spitting chips.’
As you know this expression means spluttering angrily or expressing annoyance.
It’s an Australian coinage, first recorded in a Perth newspaper, the Sunday Times, in 1899.
But what ‘chips’ are people supposed to be spitting when they are angry?
Potato chips?
Or what?
No one seems to have a clear answer, hence my appeal for help.
Here are few of your thoughts:
David wrote to say, ‘I believe it is when you are that the football eating crisps or hot chips and you are voicing your disgust with a decision of the ref. You have a mouth full and the ref upsets you, so you voice your opinion by yelling and therefore literally “spitting chips.” A slang for outrage for a ref decision.’
Excellent suggestion David, but I’m not sure it fits with the 1899 origin date.
Mark thinks the original might have been ‘splitting’ not ‘spitting’ chips. But we have the original in black and white, so that one won’t fly.
Ron writes: ‘Regarding spitting chips, maybe this came from back when we had bath chip heaters for hot water, often heard my mother say this when running a bath as the chip heater was spitting embers etc into bath water annoying her hence the expression Spitting Chips.’
Interesting.
Julie Anne writes: ‘my 88-year-old bushman father once told me that this saying comes from wood chips in a fire. Most kindling or woodchips used to start a fire were (and still are) predominantly pine chips which are typically full of resin. When lit, they spit and hiss and crackle in the fire, similarly to when we are angry ... we spit and hiss and crackle! Thus, the old saying, "spitting chips"!’
One respondent (who didn’t leave his or her name) suggested it might be from a blunt wood saw, or a saw with bent blades, spitting out wood chips.
And this, I think, is a very good observation.
When a sharp, straight, wood saw is used, what comes out is fine sawdust.
But when some of the points are bent or blunt the saw will chew up and spit out chips of wood.
And this image might figuratively stand for the sharp words being spat out of the mouth of someone who is annoyed.
So, we might settle on saying that the 'chips' in 'spitting chips' are chips of wood.
I think that you have, collectively, solved the problem!
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