Chum change

Posted by Smokey Stover on June 04, 2007

In Reply to: Chum change posted by Ron Holmstrom on June 04, 2007

: What is the origin of the phrase 'chum change'? Isn't 'chump change' incorrect?

I take it you have looked this up in the archive, but are unsatisfied with what you found. "Chump" is often used to describe a dupe or a naive fool. The Oxford English Dictionary tells us that "chump change" means a small or negligible amount of money, that it's slang of African-American origin, and that it can be found in print at least as early as 1967.
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• Chump change R. Berg 04/June/07
  • Chump change Bob 04/June/07