cheap as chips
Meaning
Extremely inexpensive; costing very little compared with what you’d expect.
Origin
Originally British: “chips” refers to a cheap, common food (fish-and-chips). The simile “as cheap as …” emphasizes very low cost.
Notes
Informal and often British. Emphasizes something is very low-priced; can also imply it’s low quality or a bargain, depending on context.
Examples
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I picked up a winter coat on clearance—cheap as chips, but surprisingly warm.
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Those earbuds look fancy, but they were cheap as chips online.
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If you go to the market near closing time, the fruit is cheap as chips.
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The café was giving away day-old pastries for cheap as chips.
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Compared to city rent, living in this town is cheap as chips.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Fixed simile pattern: “as cheap as chips.” Often used predicatively (“It’s as cheap as chips”) or after a noun (“cheap as chips”). Not usually “cheap as the chips.”
Synonyms
- dirt cheap
- cheap as dirt
- as cheap as anything
- a steal
- for a song
- pennies on the dollar
Antonyms
- expensive
- costly
- overpriced
- pricey