the.com/chopper
named for what it does to air, money, and your sense of personal safety
means A helicopter — or, depending on context, a motorcycle with extended forks, a tool for chopping, or (in slang) one's teeth.
from "Chopper" comes from "chop," a verb of Germanic origin meaning to cut with a blow. The helicopter sense is mid-20th-century slang, evoking the chopping sound and motion of the rotor blades slicing the air. The motorcycle meaning grew from the practice of "chopping" — stripping a bike down and cutting away parts to customize it. The slang for teeth (and, separately, for machine guns) leans on the same blunt image of something that chops.
- helicopter slang
- GIs in Vietnam coined it for the rotor's chop
- motorcycle style
- forks chopped and stretched for pure attitude
- world record
- longest chopper stretches over 24 feet
- slang reach
- also means teeth, guns, and bicycles
harley-davidson chopper — custom motorcycle style popularized in 1950s america, featuring extended forks and high handlebars
helicopter — aircraft with rotating blades, first successful design by igor sikorsky in 1939
meat chopper — kitchen tool with multiple blades used to mince food, common in 19th-century american kitchens