chop suey, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

chop suey n.

[SE chopped up + chop suey, a dish of stir-fried meat and vegetables, created by Chinese chefs for their Western customers. Not part of Asian cuisine, it was seen as adequate for the Western palate. The orig. Chinese is shap suì, mixed bits]

(US)

1. a Chinese person.

1939

Howsley Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl.

2. a Chinese restaurant.

1928

J.P. McEvoy Showgirl 23: We went over to a chop suey and had chicken chow mein.

3. a person of mixed ancestry.

1996

J. Green Words Apart 44: A food motif is found in chop suey, which despite its overt Chinese feel actually refers to any mixed race person: the focus is on the mixture rather than the race.

4. (US) something crazy but appealing.

1929

H.C. Witwer Yes Man’s Land 23: I watched this chop suey every day and got as many laughs as a sanitarium attendant.