phrases, sayings, idioms and expressions at

Blue-chip stock

Posted by ESC on August 03, 2000

In Reply to: Origin of phrase posted by Fred Cosgrove on August 03, 2000

: : Does anyone know the origin of this phrase? Webster dates it 1929...but I can't find the origin. Please help. What was the source of it and what lead it into todays use as referring or describing something of reliability and high quality?

"BLUE-CHIP STOCK -- comes from the chips used in gambling games like poker. These chips or counters range in value from red (cheapest) through white to blue (most valuable -- usually worth ten times the red). So a blue-chip stock is one likely to give the greatest return on the investment." From the Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins by William and Mary Morris (HarperCollins, New York, 1977, 1988).

I don't have a date on when it was first used.

© 1997 – 2024 Phrases.org.uk. All rights reserved.