Chopping and Flirting

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, my name is Henry Nieberg. I’m calling from San Diego.

Hi, Henry. Welcome to the show.

How can we help?

Well, I’m a high school student in San Diego, and it’s kind of like an inner-city school. But there’s also kind of like a mix with a lot of kids from around San Diego. And there’s a term called chopping, and it means flirting. But a lot of the inner-city kids use it, but it kind of got started spreading around the school. But when I ask other people from around the city, they’ve never heard of the term.

Chopping, as in C-H-O-P-P-I-N-G, chopping?

Yes.

For flirting with somebody. So how would I use this in a sentence? If I wanted to flirt with a young lady, what would I say that I was going to do?

Well, if I see like two people, I’d be, oh, they’re chopping. And sometimes you forget the G where it’s just chopping.

Chopping, yeah.

Yeah, and a lot of times there’s hand gestures that go along with it, where people chop with their hands, saying, oh, they’re chopping it right now.

Oh, really?

That’s interesting. Is it more like a karate chop or a vegetable chop? What kind of chop is this?

You know, you usually get your left hand, and it’s flat. And then, yeah, it’s like a karate chop on the left hand.

You know, there is some evidence for this term actually being spread further than San Diego. There were a few entries for it on Urban Dictionary going back as far as 2002. And then there’s a small collection of slang that I have, also from 2002, which seems to indicate that this is a West Coast term, but it is thoroughly West Coast, and it’s pretty widespread. It’s not like it’s just San Diego at all. But very little evidence on this. And I’m actually surprised, to be honest, that you’re still using it because it is at least 12 years old.

Well, no, it’s very, very, very evident in my school. You know, it’s used interchangeably. I don’t know if I’ve actually ever heard flirting at my school because everyone uses chopping.

Oh, right. Maybe flirting. Is flirting seen, is that word seen as old-fashioned? Or does it sound like courting or wooing to the young kids today?

I don’t know. I’m not sure. You know, at other schools, they might use flirting. It’s just at my school. You know, I don’t know. It’s never been used.

Well, I’ll tell you what we’re going to do, Henry. I know that we’ve got a bunch of young folks in high school listening to the show. I need evidence that this term is or is not used elsewhere in the country. Do you use to chop or chopping to mean to flirt or flirting? Give us a call, 877-929-9673. I really want to know this. Or send your answer an email to words@waywordradio.org. Or do Twitter under the handle Wayword.

So we’re going to find out, Henry, all right?

All right. Thanks so much.

Yeah, take care. Good luck with your studies, all right?

All right. Thank you so much.

Sure. Bye-bye.