French Word of the Day: Chipoter
This French word could have something to do with eating chips, though not always.
Why do I need to know chipoter?
Because someone might tell you to stop doing this if they feel you’ve gotten lost in the details.
What does it mean?
Chipoter – roughly pronounced sheep-oh-tay – looks a lot like the American restaurant ‘Chipotle’ and truth be told, it could have to do with Tex-Mex, depending on your snacking preferences.
The word chipoter originally comes from the Old French word “chipe” which means ‘small piece or flap’. Over time, it went on to mean ‘eating with just the tip of the teeth’ or ‘eating slowly without a large appetite’.
These days, it means to snack lightly - in English one might say ‘to nibble’ or ‘to have just a bite’. A synonym for this in French might be grignoter.
Chipoter contains another meaning too: to make a big deal of something small, or to dispute something trivial. In English, one might say ‘to quibble over it’ or to ‘split hairs’.
This version of the expression is less formal, and you would be more likely to hear it used casually by members of an older generation.
Use it like this
Si on chipote sur la facture, on sera là toute la nuit. – If we split hairs over the bill, we will be here all night.
Tu veux chipoter ? J'ai acheté des crudités. – Do you want to have a snack? I bought some sliced vegetables.
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Why do I need to know chipoter?
Because someone might tell you to stop doing this if they feel you’ve gotten lost in the details.
What does it mean?
Chipoter – roughly pronounced sheep-oh-tay – looks a lot like the American restaurant ‘Chipotle’ and truth be told, it could have to do with Tex-Mex, depending on your snacking preferences.
The word chipoter originally comes from the Old French word “chipe” which means ‘small piece or flap’. Over time, it went on to mean ‘eating with just the tip of the teeth’ or ‘eating slowly without a large appetite’.
These days, it means to snack lightly - in English one might say ‘to nibble’ or ‘to have just a bite’. A synonym for this in French might be grignoter.
Chipoter contains another meaning too: to make a big deal of something small, or to dispute something trivial. In English, one might say ‘to quibble over it’ or to ‘split hairs’.
This version of the expression is less formal, and you would be more likely to hear it used casually by members of an older generation.
Use it like this
Si on chipote sur la facture, on sera là toute la nuit. – If we split hairs over the bill, we will be here all night.
Tu veux chipoter ? J'ai acheté des crudités. – Do you want to have a snack? I bought some sliced vegetables.
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