Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US drugs, also chippey, chippy user) an occasional user of (usu. narcotic) drugs.

1924		G. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 86: The chippy-user is to be distinguished from the ‘dope fiend’ because he does not take enough of it to become addicted.
1936		(ref. to 1918) L. Duncan Over the Wall 21: The hysien users; chloroform sniffers, who belonged to the riff-raff element of the dope chippeys.
1938		D. Maurer ‘Argot of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 2 in AS XIII:3 182/2: chippy. See pleasure-user.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 49: chippy [...] a user of drugs but an addict to the same [...] chippy user One who uses narcotics moderately.
1959		J.E. Schmidt Narcotics Lingo and Lore 29: Chippy – A semi-addict who consumes small doses of, usually, mild drugs [...] Chippy user – An on-the-fence drug addict.
1967		in S. Harris Hellhole 94: You’re not a chippy any more but are hooked.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).
2000		(con. 1940s–60s) Décharné Straight from the Fridge Dad.

2. a limited drug addiction.

1964		Larner & Tefferteller Addict in the Street (1966) 80: I still got a small habit, which we call a chippie.
1966		J. Mills Panic in Needle Park (1971) 43: At the moment, like Sammy, he had only a chippy, and got most of the heroin he needed by hanging around other addicts who occasionally turned him on with a taste, gave him a weak shot from their own supply.
1971		R. Woodley Dealer 62: It could be that he’s into it [narcotics use] a little heavy. [...] Could be that he’s gettin a little chippie on again.
1984		W.D. Myers Motown and Didi 125: ‘That little chippy I had, using stuff on the weekends and things, well, it’s grown up now’.
2009		W.D. Myers Dope Sick 103: I had seen a lot of dudes who thought they just had chippies and they was drowning.

3. attrib. use of senses; occasional, limited.

1963		M. Braly Shake Him Till He Rattles (1964) 121: I’m just talking about a little light-running chippy fix.
1972		E. Grogan Ringolevio 432: His chippy shot of drugstore scag had made him feel as old as the hills.