"chopping block" meaning in English

See chopping block in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: chopping blocks [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} chopping block (plural chopping blocks)
  1. A thick wooden slab used as a cutting surface for preparing food, splitting firewood or kindling, etc. Coordinate_terms: chopping board, cutting board Translations (a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food): ἐπίξηνον (epíxēnon) [neuter] (Ancient Greek), бүкән (bükən) (Bashkir), huggeblok [common-gender] (Danish), ceap búistéara [masculine] (Irish), Heiwklotz [masculine] (Plautdietsch), разде́лочная доска́ (razdéločnaja doská) [feminine] (Russian), bloque de picar [masculine] (Spanish), bloque de trocear [masculine] (Spanish), bloque de cortar [masculine] (Spanish), เขียง (kǐiang) (Thai)
    Sense id: en-chopping_block-en-noun-7TnPfaND Categories (other): English links with manual fragments Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 23 26 21 30 Disambiguation of 'a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food': 93 2 1 4
  2. (historical, informal) A block of wood against which a condemned person put their head prior to beheading. Tags: historical, informal Related terms: chop down, chop up, slash, sword of Damocles, take an axe to Translations (a block of wood people place their heads on prior to beheading): ἐπίξηνον (epíxēnon) [neuter] (Ancient Greek), пла́ха (pláxa) [feminine] (Russian)
    Sense id: en-chopping_block-en-noun-qsT98Mwb Categories (other): English links with manual fragments, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Plautdietsch translations, Terms with Thai translations Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 23 26 21 30 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 5 43 6 46 Disambiguation of Terms with Plautdietsch translations: 4 44 2 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Thai translations: 6 44 4 46 Disambiguation of 'a block of wood people place their heads on prior to beheading': 3 79 3 16
  3. (by extension) A dangerous or precarious situation. Tags: broadly
    Sense id: en-chopping_block-en-noun-qtDSoL5- Categories (other): English links with manual fragments Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 23 26 21 30
  4. (by extension) A dangerous or precarious situation.
    The threat of an impending budget cut.
    Tags: broadly
    Sense id: en-chopping_block-en-noun-tBtqcZav Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English links with manual fragments, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries, Terms with Ancient Greek translations, Terms with Bashkir translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Irish translations, Terms with Plautdietsch translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Thai translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 31 4 53 Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 23 26 21 30 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 4 32 2 62 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 4 32 1 63 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 4 32 2 63 Disambiguation of Terms with Ancient Greek translations: 25 24 10 41 Disambiguation of Terms with Bashkir translations: 9 31 6 54 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 5 43 6 46 Disambiguation of Terms with Irish translations: 9 31 10 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Plautdietsch translations: 4 44 2 50 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 6 38 3 52 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 7 28 2 63 Disambiguation of Terms with Thai translations: 6 44 4 46
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Categories (other): Death Disambiguation of Death: 0 0 0 0

Inflected forms

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      "form": "chopping blocks",
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          "word": "chopping board"
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        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: butcher block, butcher's block"
        }
      ],
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        "A thick wooden slab used as a cutting surface for preparing food, splitting firewood or kindling, etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-chopping_block-en-noun-7TnPfaND",
      "links": [
        [
          "wooden",
          "wooden"
        ],
        [
          "slab",
          "slab"
        ],
        [
          "cut",
          "cut"
        ],
        [
          "surface",
          "surface"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "ba",
          "lang": "Bashkir",
          "lang_code": "ba",
          "roman": "bükən",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "word": "бүкән"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "lang_code": "da",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
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            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "huggeblok"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "grc",
          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "lang_code": "grc",
          "roman": "epíxēnon",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
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        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "ga",
          "lang": "Irish",
          "lang_code": "ga",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
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          ],
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        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "pdt",
          "lang": "Plautdietsch",
          "lang_code": "pdt",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Heiwklotz"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "razdéločnaja doská",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "разде́лочная доска́"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bloque de picar"
        },
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          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
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          ],
          "word": "bloque de trocear"
        },
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          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "lang_code": "es",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "bloque de cortar"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "93 2 1 4",
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "lang_code": "th",
          "roman": "kǐiang",
          "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
          "word": "เขียง"
        }
      ]
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        "A block of wood against which a condemned person put their head prior to beheading."
      ],
      "id": "en-chopping_block-en-noun-qsT98Mwb",
      "links": [
        [
          "behead",
          "behead"
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      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(historical, informal) A block of wood against which a condemned person put their head prior to beheading."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "15 61 6 18",
          "word": "chop down"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "15 61 6 18",
          "word": "chop up"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "15 61 6 18",
          "word": "slash"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "15 61 6 18",
          "word": "sword of Damocles"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "15 61 6 18",
          "word": "take an axe to"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "historical",
        "informal"
      ],
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          "lang_code": "grc",
          "roman": "epíxēnon",
          "sense": "a block of wood people place their heads on prior to beheading",
          "tags": [
            "neuter"
          ],
          "word": "ἐπίξηνον"
        },
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          "_dis1": "3 79 3 16",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "lang_code": "ru",
          "roman": "pláxa",
          "sense": "a block of wood people place their heads on prior to beheading",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "пла́ха"
        }
      ]
    },
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        }
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          "text": "Jim really put his head on the chopping block when he started flirting with the boss's daughter.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A dangerous or precarious situation."
      ],
      "id": "en-chopping_block-en-noun-qtDSoL5-",
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          "dangerous"
        ],
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          "precarious",
          "precarious"
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        "(by extension) A dangerous or precarious situation."
      ],
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          "_dis": "9 31 6 54",
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          "text": "Our team might be on the chopping block — the company seems to be finding excuses to avoid funding these operating expenses.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A dangerous or precarious situation.",
        "The threat of an impending budget cut."
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      "id": "en-chopping_block-en-noun-tBtqcZav",
      "links": [
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          "budget cut"
        ]
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        "(by extension) A dangerous or precarious situation.",
        "The threat of an impending budget cut."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "chopping block"
}
{
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    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English links with manual fragments",
    "English multiword terms",
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    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Thai translations",
    "en:Death"
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      "word": "chop down"
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      "word": "chop up"
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      "word": "slash"
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      "word": "sword of Damocles"
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      "word": "take an axe to"
    }
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          "word": "chopping board"
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        {
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          "text": "Near-synonyms: butcher block, butcher's block"
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      ],
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        "A thick wooden slab used as a cutting surface for preparing food, splitting firewood or kindling, etc."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "wooden",
          "wooden"
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          "slab",
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        "A block of wood against which a condemned person put their head prior to beheading."
      ],
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          "behead"
        ]
      ],
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        "(historical, informal) A block of wood against which a condemned person put their head prior to beheading."
      ],
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        "historical",
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          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
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      ],
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          "precarious",
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      ],
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        "(by extension) A dangerous or precarious situation."
      ],
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        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A dangerous or precarious situation.",
        "The threat of an impending budget cut."
      ],
      "links": [
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        ],
        [
          "precarious",
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          "budget cut"
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      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) A dangerous or precarious situation.",
        "The threat of an impending budget cut."
      ],
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ba",
      "lang": "Bashkir",
      "lang_code": "ba",
      "roman": "bükən",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "word": "бүкән"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "huggeblok"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "lang_code": "grc",
      "roman": "epíxēnon",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "ἐπίξηνον"
    },
    {
      "code": "ga",
      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ceap búistéara"
    },
    {
      "code": "pdt",
      "lang": "Plautdietsch",
      "lang_code": "pdt",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Heiwklotz"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "razdéločnaja doská",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "разде́лочная доска́"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bloque de picar"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bloque de trocear"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "lang_code": "es",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "bloque de cortar"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "lang_code": "th",
      "roman": "kǐiang",
      "sense": "a wooden slab used as a cutting surface for food",
      "word": "เขียง"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "lang_code": "grc",
      "roman": "epíxēnon",
      "sense": "a block of wood people place their heads on prior to beheading",
      "tags": [
        "neuter"
      ],
      "word": "ἐπίξηνον"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "roman": "pláxa",
      "sense": "a block of wood people place their heads on prior to beheading",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "пла́ха"
    }
  ],
  "word": "chopping block"
}

Download raw JSONL data for chopping block meaning in English (4.8kB)

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  "msg": "skipping string in the middle of translations: </table></div></div>\n\n",
  "path": [
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  "section": "English",
  "subsection": "noun",
  "title": "chopping block",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-12-02 using wiktextract (e2469cc and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.