One who seeks a quarrel is said to go about with a chip on his shoulder, daring others to knock it off.
1840. Jonathan’s blood is “pretty considerable riz” anyhow, and it wouldn’t take so much as knocking a chip off a boy’s shoulder to make it a darnationed sight riz-er.—Daily Pennant (St. Louis), May 9.
1855. Leland, in his last issue, struts out with a chip on his shoulder, and dares Bush to knock it off.—Weekly Oregonian, March 17.
1882. You drop all of this stuff about Conkling…. He is not prancing around with a chip on his shoulder, challenging all mankind to battle.—Letter of S. W. Dorsey to President-elect Garfield, in the papers of Aug. 13–4. [Probably spurious. The alleged date is Feb. 7, 1881.]
1890. They were the class of men who carry the chip balanced very lightly on the shoulder, and rather seek than avoid its jostling.—Mrs. Custer, ‘Following the Guidon,’ p. 117 (N.Y.).
1901. They [the Chilean officers] were smart enough to see that while I had no ‘chip on my shoulder,’ yet I would yank up the first man who ventured to neglect the least point of etiquette.—R. D. Evans, ‘A Sailor’s Log,’ p. 264.
