Green’s Dictionary of Slang

chop-chop adv.

quickly, fast.

1836		Chinese Repository IV 434: ‘More soon, more better; sendee chop-chop,’ I told him.
1851		Oxford Jrnl 3 May 4/1: Sam [...] I want you chop-chop (quickly).
1873		Hastings & St Leonards Obs. 8 Nov. 8/3: Chopchop means quick-quick.
1878		J. Payn By Proxy Ch. ii: Chow-chow is not fish, but food [...] and chop-chop only means directly [F&H].
1891		Blackburn Standard 25 July 5/3: Nightee time begin chop-chop [...] ‘chop-chop’ is immediately.
1898		F. Norris Moran of the Lady Letty 131: Plenty many shark [...] catchum chop-chop.
1900		Marvel XIV:364 Oct. 11: You clear off into the town chop, chop, and hire us twelve stout seamen.
1902		Sunderland Dly Echo 1 Mar. 4/5: You sabee, ma braw laddie, chop-chop!
1913		Day Book (Chicago) 19 Sept. 24/1: Dat Chinee Kid [...] Him gone China, chop-chop.
1922		Colton & Randolph Rain I 8: We’ll have that bird on his feet and down to the dock—chop-chop pronto!
1932		Sunderland Dly Echo 5 Mar. 2/6: With the coolie in front of me [...] I made my way [and] called out [...] ‘I b’long Englishman — go settlement side ‘chop-chop’ (quickly).
1940		J. Archibald ‘Short Order Crook’ in Ten Detective Aces Apr. 🌐 I come chop-chop. Velly fast.
1947		S.J. Perelman Westward Ha! 17: Take this chit to the Residency chop-chop.
1951		M. Spillane One Lonely Night 107: Get your tail down here chop-chop.
1967		(con. 1950s) McAleer & Dickson Unit Pride (1981) 321: I’ll give Momma San a kick in the ass if she doesn’t get out of here, chop-chop.
1972		(con. 1916) G. Swarthout Tin Lizzie Troop (1978) 15: You get those men out of those Tin Lizzies and into formation and you do it chop-chop.
1982		P. Slabolepszy Sat. Night at the Palace (1985) 46: Get inside, man. Go work for your living. Chop-chop.
1989		B. Simon ‘Score Me the Ages’ Born in the RSA (1997) 135: lennie: There’s a ou for you, take him round the block, you show him your cock, he’ll give you ten bucks chop-chop. boykie: Ten bucks for that hey! Jussis, you know all these okes hey.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 409: You go downstairs and tell him Natsky brought the laundry. Chop-chop.
2001		K. Waterhouse Soho 111: And give us some more wine, would you, chop chop?
2008		T. Dorsey Atomic Lobster 12: Chop, chop! [...] We’re almost into the bay.
2011		J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 79: Chop, chop, you’re in a fuckin daydream, you tart, hurry up!
2019		N. Walker Cherry 121: We didn’t get much in the way of prior notice; then the sergeants were at us, going: ‘Git yer shit.’ ‘Chop chop, dalli dalli’.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 76: ‘I’ll send them down to the boys in our forensic lab, chop-chop’.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 626: [T]wo service dress uniforms and a mess dress uniform were delivered (double quick time, chop chop).