chap1
/tʃap
/verb (chaps, chapping, chapped) [no object]
1(Of the skin) become cracked, rough, or sore, typically through exposure to cold weather: his skin is very dry and chaps easily...
- It's stopped my skin chapping when I used to go round lambing the ewes.
- It's essential to moisturize baby's delicate skin to protect it and prevent chapping, especially in cold, dry weather.
- The cosmetic industry employs glycerin in skin conditioning lotions to replace lost skin moisture, relieve chapping, and keep skin soft.
Synonyms
become raw, become sore, redden, become inflamed, chafe, crack, roughen
1.1 [with object] (usually as adjective chapped) (Of the wind or cold) cause (skin) to crack or become sore: chapped lips...
- Her lips were chapped from the wind and I thought her nose was too small.
- The infant who is drooling often has chapped skin around the mouth, on the chest, or on the hands.
- Wind buffeted her, chapping her lips and slowing her crawl.
noun
A cracked or sore patch on the skin.Our lips will be covered in chaps.
Origin
Late Middle English: of unknown origin.
A chap is now an ordinary man, but he was originally ‘a buyer or customer’. The word was an abbreviation of chapman ‘a pedlar’, which came from Old English ceap, ‘bargaining, trade’, also the origin of cheap and of English place names such as Chipping Norton. The current sense dates from early 18th century. See also chop
Rhymes
chap2
/tʃap/noun British informal
1A man or a boy: he sounded like a nice, caring sort of chap...
- Eventually, I talked to a chap who promised to sort things out and he asked me to fax the bill through.
- Maybe it is difficult to imagine these guys as nice chaps when your machismo immediately assumes they'll be natural born show-offs.
- I have one customer, a chap in his seventies, an ex-engineer who collects knives and swords; he owns more than 400 of them, all different.
Synonyms
man, boy, male, individual, body
informal fellow, fella, geezer, punter, character, customer, sort, type
British informal bloke, guy, lad, bod
North American informal dude, hombre
British informal, dated cove
archaic wight
1.1 dated A friendly form of address between men and boys: best of luck, old chap...
- ‘Don't expect much from her, chap,’ whispered John as they entered a new room.
- Pardon me, old chap, but aren't you getting just a bit ahead of yourself in rather an offensive manner?
- My dear old chap, I do believe you're right.
Origin
Late 16th century (denoting a buyer or customer): abbreviation of chapman. The current sense dates from the early 18th century.
chap3
/tʃap/noun (usually chaps)
The lower jaw or half of the cheek, especially that of a pig used as food.They carry their meat in the storehouses of their own chaps or cheeks, taking it forth when they are hungry....
- Bath chaps are often eaten cold, making a tasty dish.
- Bath chaps can be sliced and eaten like ham.
Origin
Mid 16th century: of unknown origin. Compare with chops.