fish and chips

IPA/ˌfɪʃ ən ˈtʃɪps/
IPA/ˌfɪʃ ən ˈtʃɪps/

fish and chips — noun

1. pieces of white fish coated in batter and deep-fried until golden, served with t

1.nounA1
Definition

pieces of white fish coated in batter and deep-fried until golden, served with thick-cut fried potatoes — a classic British takeaway meal often wrapped in paper and eaten straight from the bag.

Example

Anya stopped at the chippy on her way home and ordered fish and chips.

collocation: stop at + chippy, order fish and chips

The new café sells excellent fish and chips with mushy peas on the side.

collocation: fish and chips with mushy peas

Common collocations
  • order fish and chips
  • a portion of fish and chips
  • fish and chips with mushy peas
  • salt and vinegar on fish and chips
  • fish and chips from the takeaway

Grammar Patterns

fish and chips + singular verb

a / two / several + fish and chips (countable usage)

Usage Note

Commonly treated as an uncountable noun ('Fish and chips is my favourite meal'), but can be countable when referring to orders ('Two fish and chips, please'). Frequently associated with British culture and typically bought from a 'chippy' (fish and chip shop).

Common Mistakes

I ate a fish and chips for lunch.
I ate fish and chips for lunch.
the dish is uncountable; do not use 'a' before it.
I ordered two fishes and chips.
I ordered two fish and chips.
'fish' here refers to the prepared dish and does not take a plural form.

Word family

  • chippy
    nounA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'fish and chips' refers specifically to battered fried fish served with thick-cut fried potatoes, 'fried fish' alone describes any fried fish dish and does not imply chips. In Scotland, the same meal is often called a 'fish supper' when eaten as an evening takeaway. 'Chippy' is not a synonym for the dish itself but for the shop that sells it — though someone might say 'I'm going to the chippy' meaning they will get fish and chips. In England and Wales, 'fish and chips' is the standard term nationwide, while 'fish supper' is mainly Scottish.

fried fishfish supperchippy

Common collocations

Nouns

  • fish and chips shop
  • fish and chips takeaway
  • chippy

Phrases

  • a portion of fish and chips
  • salt and vinegar on fish and chips
  • fish and chips wrapped in paper

Prepositions

  • fish and chips from
  • fish and chips with

Etymology

PortugueseSpanishFrenchEnglish

The dish combines two food traditions that arrived in Britain separately. Fried fish was introduced to London's East End by Jewish immigrants from Portugal and Spain in the 16th–17th centuries. Chips — thick-cut fried potatoes — first appeared in Britain around the same time, probably influenced by French and Belgian cooking. The two were sold together from the 1860s, and by the early 1900s fish and chip shops had spread across the UK, becoming a staple working-class meal. The phrase 'fish and chips' as a fixed compound dates from the late 19th century.

First known use

1876

1876, in the meaning defined above