イディオム

a chip on your shoulder

過去に受けた不当な扱いや侮辱へのわだかまりがあり、すぐに反発したり敵意を示したりすること。

一般上級一般的

emotionscommonadvanced

Meaning

A tendency to be angry or resentful because you feel unfairly treated or insulted, often causing you to argue or take offense easily.

Origin

It is commonly linked to a 19th-century practice in which a person carried a chip of wood on their shoulder as a challenge for someone else to knock it off, starting a fight.

Examples

He has had a chip on his shoulder ever since he was passed over for promotion.

昇進で選ばれなかった以来、彼はずっと不満を抱えている。

Try not to bring a chip on your shoulder into the meeting; people want to hear your ideas.

会議にわだかまりを持ち込まないようにして。みんなあなたの意見を聞きたがっている。

She seems to have a chip on her shoulder about being from a small town.

彼女は小さな町の出身であることについて、引け目やわだかまりがあるようだ。

After years of being underestimated, he developed a chip on his shoulder.

何年も過小評価されてきたため、彼は強い反発心を抱くようになった。

Her chip on her shoulder made ordinary feedback sound like a personal attack.

彼女のわだかまりのせいで、普通のフィードバックさえ個人攻撃のように聞こえた。

Notes (Japanese)

通常は否定的な表現で、防衛的な態度や恨み、すぐに侮辱されたと受け取る傾向を示す。have、carry、develop などと使うことが多い。

Notes (English)

Usually negative: it suggests defensiveness, resentment, or readiness to take offense. It often follows have, carry, or develop.

Grammar & Usage Notes (Japanese)

基本形は "a chip on one's shoulder"。所有格は主語に合わせて his、her、my、their などに変える。通常、a を伴って用いる。

Grammar & Usage Notes (English)

The fixed core is "a chip on one's shoulder." Change the possessive pronoun to match the person: his, her, my, their, etc. It is normally used with an article.

補足（日本語）