Be in the chips
Meaning
To be wealthy, financially secure, or to have a significant amount of money.
Origin
The phrase "be in the chips" paints a vivid picture straight from the smoky backrooms of early 20th-century American gambling dens. In games like poker, chips are the currency, and a player with a towering stack of them is clearly winning, flush with immediate wealth and power at the table. This simple, tangible image of financial success — having a lot of chips — quickly transcended the gambling world, becoming a popular idiom to describe anyone who was prosperous or financially well-off, embodying the feeling of a triumphant hand in life's bigger game.
Examples
- After the company's successful IPO, all the early investors found themselves in the chips and could finally pursue their long-held dreams.
- Winning the lottery meant he was suddenly in the chips, able to pay off all his debts and buy a new house.