Chin-chin
intj, noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
- 1 Discussion, conversation, talk. US, archaic, countable, informal, uncountable
"I haven't had so much chin-chin for years."
- 1 To greet; to toast. dated, transitive
"She ‘chin-chins’ the captain... and then nods her pretty head."
- 2 To say 'chin-chin'. dated, intransitive
"We ‘chin-chinned’ over foaming beakers."
- 1 A salutation, especially a drinking toast. dated
"The two junior members of the Chinese deputation came at the appointed hour. . . . On entering the door of the marquee they both made an abrupt stop, and resisted all solicitation to advance to chairs that had been prepared for them, until I should first be seated; in this dilemma, Dr. Buchanan, who had visited China, advised me what was to be done; I immediately seized on the foremost, whilst the Doctor himself grappled with the second; thus we soon fixed them in their seats, both parties during the struggle, repeating Chin Chin, Chin Chin, the Chinese term of salutation."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"The two junior members of the Chinese deputation came at the appointed hour. . . . On entering the door of the marquee they both made an abrupt stop, and resisted all solicitation to advance to chairs that had been prepared for them, until I should first be seated; in this dilemma, Dr. Buchanan, who had visited China, advised me what was to be done; I immediately seized on the foremost, whilst the Doctor himself grappled with the second; thus we soon fixed them in their seats, both parties during the struggle, repeating Chin Chin, Chin Chin, the Chinese term of salutation."
Etymology
From Chinese Pidgin English chin-chin, a reduplication of Shanghainese 請 /请 (⁵chin, “please”). Sometimes, especially in Italianate spellings, reborrowed from Italian cincin.
Duplication of chin in its various senses. Compare chinwag.
More for "chin-chin"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.