Chop chop (phrase)
"Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese. It spread through Chinese workers at sea and was adopted by British seamen. "Chop chop" means "hurry" and suggests that something should be done now and without delay. The word "chopsticks" likely originates from this same root.
The term may have its origins in the South China Sea, as a Pidgin English version of the Cantonese term chok chok which in turn is similar in usage to the Mandarin term k'wâi-k'wâi or may have originated from Malay.
