"chip on his/her/its shoulder"...what's it exactly mean?

[nq:1]I'd read a couple of article which contain the phrase "chip on (his/her/its) shoulder". I'm just perplexed that what exactly it means and what is the origin of it. Anyone can help ?[/nq]
oooh oooh oooh!
A question I can answer!!!
Having a chip on your shoulder means that you seem to be upset with people over little things. It could describe someone who lashes out at people over s

[nq:1]I'd read a couple of article which contain the phrase "chip on (his/her/its) shoulder". I'm just perplexed that what exactly it means and what is the origin of it. Anyone can help ?[/nq]
I have seen this in films of early US and of the "Old West". Someone who wanted to get in a fight would put a chip of wood on his shoulder and dare someone to knock it off. Kind of the equivalent of thro

[nq:2]I'd read a couple of article which contain the phrase ... what is the origin of it. Anyone can help ?[/nq]
[nq:1]I have seen this in films of early US and of the "Old West". Someone who wanted to get in ... trouble, and just hopingsomeone would give one the opportunity to strike out and get a fight "out in the open".[/nq]
Evan Morris, "The Word Detective," gives the same basic explan

[nq:2]I'd read a couple of article which contain the phrase ... what is the origin of it. Anyone can help ?[/nq]
[nq:1]I have seen this in films of early US and of the "Old West". Someone who wanted to get in ... and just hoping someone would give one the opportunity to strike out and get a fight "out in the open".[/nq]
This is a bit different from my interpretation of the phrase, at the h

[nq:2]I have seen this in films of early US and ... strike out and get a fight "out in the open".[/nq]
[nq:1]Evan Morris, "The Word Detective," gives the same basic explanation at http://www.word-detective.com/041899.html#chip He cites the OED, which shows as the ... chip would be placed on the shoulder

[nq:2]I have seen this in films of early US and ... strike out and get a fight "out in the open".[/nq]
[nq:1]This is a bit different from my interpretation of the phrase, at the heart of which is that the person ... "an attitude problem". I realize that this runs counter to the claimed origin of the expression, but so be it.[/nq]
That's always been my understanding too. And the 'chip' may

[nq:2]This is a bit different from my interpretation of the ... the claimed origin of the expression, but so be it.[/nq]
[nq:1]That's always been my understanding too. And the 'chip' may be a perfectly justifiable resentment. Somebody might have a chip ... his shoulder about T. Blair not standing down half waythrough his second term. John Dean Oxford De-frag to reply[/nq]
Perhaps this is o

The Longman Dictionary of English Idioms has the following:
chip on one's/the shoulder, colloquial, a feeling of anger or bitterness because one thinks that one is regarded by others as a person of little value or worth, e.g. because one lacks education or money.
That is the meaning I am familiar with in BrEng.
A jocular extension of this is sometimes used. For example "He is convinc

[nq:1]... my interpretation of the phrase, at the heart of which is that the person is carrying around a bunch of resentments.[/nq]
.. resentments or feelings of insecurity, which lead the person to be over-sensitive and perhaps likely to over-react. Yes, that's my understanding of the phrase too.
Cheers,
Daniel.