Cuts of meat from the rib or loin area, or slang for musical skill and technical ability.
From Middle English 'chop' meaning to cut with an axe. The musical meaning emerged in jazz culture of the 1940s, likely from the physical motion of playing instruments resembling chopping.
When jazz musicians talk about having 'chops,' they're using butcher shop terminology to describe their technical prowess - a perfect example of how working-class metaphors elevate artistic discourse.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.