chop-chop

See also: chop chop

English

Alternative forms

• chop chop

Etymology

From Chinese Pidgin English, from Cantonese 速速 (cuk1 cuk1, “quick”). Recorded in English since the 1830s (see citations for adverb). Recorded as a Chinese term in 1795.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (General Australian):

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Interjection

chop-chop

1. Used to urge someone to do something quickly.

   (Singapore) chop-chop kalipok

Translations

hurry up

• Arabic: يالا بنا
• Bengali: তাড়াতাড়ি (bn) (taṛataṛi), উইরাতালা (uiratala)
• Catalan: briu (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 快點／快点 (zh) (kuàidiǎn)

• Czech: fofrem, šup šup
• Dutch: vlug een beetje!
• Finnish: hopi hopi, hop hop, mars mars
• French: vite-vite (fr), grouille-grouille ! (fr) grouille-toi ! (fr), magne-toi ! (fr), et on se dépêche ! (fr), plus vite que ça !, on va pas coucher (fr) là !
• German: zack zack (de), dalli dalli (de), hopp hopp
• Greek: τσάκα τσάκα (el) (tsáka tsáka)
• Hindi: जल्दी (hi) (jaldī)
• Hungarian: gyorsan (hu)
• Italian: affrettatevi, affrettati (it)
• Japanese: 早く早く (hayaku hayaku)
• Korean: 빨리 빨리 (ppalli ppalli)
• Lithuanian: greičiau greičiau
• Malagasy: malakilaky (mg), faingana (mg)
• Polish: szybciej, raz-dwa
• Portuguese: depressa (pt)
• Russian: бы́стро-бы́стро (býstro-býstro)
• Spanish: presto (es), pronto (es)
• Swedish: skynda dig!, skynda på! (sv), skynda! (sv)
• Vietnamese: đi đi mau, đi đi

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Czech: honem (cs)

Adverb

chop-chop (not comparable)

1. (derogatory) Quickly.
   • 1836 May 18, The Commercial Journal and Advertiser, Sydney, page 4, column 3:

     "Well, more soon, more better; sendee chop chop," I told him.

   • 1850, J. Berncastle, A Voyage to China, London: W. Shoberl, page 66:

     "Sam, when you have catchee chow-chow, I want you chop-chop" (quickly).

   • 1977, John Le Carré, The Honourable Schoolboy, Folio Society, published 2010, page 13:

     ‘And another beer! But cold this time, hear that, boy? Muchee coldee, and bring it chop chop.’

Descendants

• → Portuguese: txapo-txapo, chapo-chapo

Noun

chop-chop (uncountable)

1. (Australia, informal) Tobacco that is produced and sold without excise (tax), and therefore cheap and illegal.
   • 1944, Australian House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates, volume 265, page 30968:

     We are here today to try and do the impossible: to stop the chop chop industry.

   • 2002 November 11, Major ‘chop chop’ seizure in Northern Queensland, Australian Taxation Office, media release.
   • 2007, Martin Hughes, The Slow Guide: Melbourne, unnumbered page:

     Attitudes to tobacco mean it′s virtually sold under the counter (and we′re not talking about ‘chop chop’).