To have a "chip on your shoulder" means to hold a grudge or grievance that makes a person easily angered, combative, or quick to take offense. It often reflects a feeling of being treated unfairly or a perceived sense of inferiority, leading to a generally negative or defensive attitude
. The phrase originates from a 19th-century American practice where someone looking for a fight would place a small chip of wood on their shoulder, daring others to knock it off and thereby provoke a confrontation
. In everyday use, saying someone has a chip on their shoulder suggests they are habitually resentful or angry about a past event or perceived slight, which influences their behavior and interactions with others. For example, a person might have a chip on their shoulder about not being promoted at work or about a difficult upbringing, causing them to be touchy or argumentative
. Overall, it is a negative idiom describing someone who carries ongoing bitterness or defensiveness due to past grievances or insecurities
