Idiom idiom
he's a chip off the old block
Meaning
The son is like the father
Examples
“He plays guitar just like his father; he's a chip off the old block.”
“When I saw the boy fix the engine with such ease, I knew he was a chip off the old block.”
“Watching the young lawyer argue with his father's trademark intensity, the judge remarked that he was clearly a chip off the old block.”
Origin
disputed 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).
Last updated June 7, 2026