TO LICK THE CHOPS, phr. (common).—See quots. [CHOPS = the mouth, lips, jaws.] Fr., les jaffes.
1655. R. FELLOWES, trans. Milton’s The Second Defence of the People of England, 227. The sight of this egg … caused our monarchy-men … to LICK THEIR CHOPS. [M.]
1841. Punch, vol. I., p. 6. Manager. Of course then the Tories will take office? Punch. I rayther suspect they will. Have they not been LICKING THEIR CHOPS for ten years outside the Treasury door while the sneaking Whigs were helping themselves to all the fat tit-bits within?
DOWN IN THE CHOPS or MOUTH, phr. (colloquial).—Sad, melancholy. Cf., TO HAVE A CHOPPER ON.
1830. BULWER-LYTTON, Paul Clifford, p. 28, ed. 1854. ‘Vy, Paul, my kid, you looks DOWN IN THE CHOPS; cheer up, care killed a cat.’
1868. BREWER, Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. DOWN IN THE CHOPS—i.e., down in the mouth; in a melancholy state; with the mouth drawn down. Chop or chap is Saxon for mouth; we still say a pig’s chap.
