"Bargaining Chip": Antedating & Mystery

[Fred Shapiro]

On Sun, 11 Aug 2002, Rick H Kennerly wrote:

> I do not understand "bargaining chip" in any context other than a commodity
> (money, points of argument, Czechoslovakia, or goods) that is sacrificial
> and used to draw your opponent deeper into the game (incrementally upping
> the ante with each round of bidding when you're holding, say,  three of a
> kind and a pair) but that you are also willing to lose of need be).

I think it's clear from looking at usages of "bargaining chip" and the
less common synonymous term "trading chip" that the essence of a
bargaining chip is that you trade it for something else.  Which doesn't
sound like something from poker.

Fred Shapiro


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