Chop chop (phrase)
"Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and was adopted by English seamen.[1] "Chop chop" means "hurry, hurry" and suggests that something should be done now and without any delay. The word "chopsticks" likely originates from this root.[2]
The term may have its origins in the South China Sea, as a Pidgin English version of the Chinese term k'wâi-k'wâi (Chinese: 快快; pinyin: kuài kuài)[1] or may have originated from Malay. [citation needed]
"Chop Chop" was used sparsely during the late 1950s in the Himalayan region of Central Nepal. The phrase was used to signal that a task is of urgency and needed immediate completion or attention. It was however, followed by a greeting word directed at the person who was undertaking the task. This greeting would mostly be 'brother' or of similar arrangement. As times passed, the younger generations started pronouncing it a bit different and somewhat resembling the, now popular, 'bratha'. It has recently made its way into the western culture where it is used in a very similar context among close friends.
See also
References
External links
The dictionary definition of chop-chop at Wiktionary
