he's a chip off the old block

idiom

Meaning

The son is like the father

Origin

disputed origin

From the older form 'a chip of the same block' (17th century); the image — a chip cut from the same wood as the parent block — goes back to ancient Greek (Theocritus).

Examples

SIMPLE

He plays guitar just like his father; he's a chip off the old block.

CONTEXTUAL

When I saw the boy fix the engine with such ease, I knew he was a chip off the old block.

COMPLEX

Watching the young lawyer argue with his father's trademark intensity, the judge remarked that he was clearly a chip off the old block.

Last updated June 7, 2026