Bargaining Chip (1960, 1964)

[Dave Wilton]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU]On Behalf
> Of Fred Shapiro
> Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 4:00 AM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Bargaining Chip (1960, 1964)
>
>
> On Wed, 14 Apr 2004, Stephen Goranson wrote:
>
> > Just a guess, but maybe "bargaining chips" originally referred
> to the ante
> > chips, getting a place at the bargaining table, and maybe to
> upping the ante,
> > the price of entry. Maybe more context from the Oshkosh 1964
> quote would be
> > worth posting.
>
> It is interesting that in baseball players, considered as assets for
> possible trades, have been referred to as "chips" for some time.  Is there
> some game where one trades chips for other players' chips?

Has anyone searched on "bargaining chit"? I don't know of any games where
one trades chips, but "chit" seems logical and could have easily
folk-etymologized into "chip." Alas, I have no evidence for this.

--Dave Wilton
  dave at wilton.net
  http://www.wilton.net