Chip on one's shoulder

[vita32]

Chip on one's shoulder. When a person is said to have a chip on his/her shoulder, it means that he/she is easily offended. Is there a Spanish equivalent for this English idiom?

Thanks.

[Glen]

Ser muy provocador

[Rusty]

I don't know of an equivalent idiom, but here are some other translations:
Ser un resentido
Estar resentido
Estar rencoroso

[Elaina]

Well, first off we need to define what you mean when a person has a chip on their shoulder. I think the phrase itself indicates the person is easily offended but is also on the defensive all the time or maybe even angry.

For example,

- Where did you buy those shoes?
---Why? Don't they look okay? Why do you want to know? I don't need to know if they look okay or not, go talk to someone else.

Maybe with a touch of paranoia.

Quizas la persona "está llena de resentimientos". Está en la defensiva siempre. O simplemente, "tiene problemas".

[vita32]

Thank you, everyone for responding.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Elaina

Well, first off we need to define what you mean when a person has a chip on their shoulder. I think the phrase itself indicates the person is easily offended but is also on the defensive all the time or maybe even angry.

I have never understood it as being easily offended, just that somebody has a complex about something. For example if someone dislikes everybody with academic qualifications because they feel resentful that they didn't have the same opportunities themselves. Somebody bearing a grudge.

[aleCcowaN]

In Argentina we use "leche hervida" -generally with "ponerse como" or "saltar como"- to describe those people susceptible or sensible that easily blow a gasket and become belligerent by taking things personally or as a matter of life and death ("tomarse las cosas a la tremenda")

[Glen]

Originally Posted by Perikles

I have never understood it as being easily offended, just that somebody has a complex about something. For example if someone dislikes everybody with academic qualifications because they feel resentful that they didn't have the same opportunities themselves. Somebody bearing a grudge.

Sounds like you would go with another one I have heard, tener un poco de complejo, right?

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Glen

Sounds like you would go with another one I have heard, tener un poco de complejo, right?

Right

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Glen: "Ser un provocador" means you are the one who makes people react (or overreact) negatively.
"Tener un poco de complejo" sounds awkward for a Mexican ear. We'd say "estar (un poco) acomplejado" or "tener algunos / unos cuantos complejos".


A Mexican would also say about someone who is easily offended or touchy (because of their complexes or because they feel always attacked or so) that he/she is "muy susceptible".

Juan es muy susceptible. No quiero decirle que puso una fecha equivocada en el documento, porque va a hacer un pleito.
Juan is too touchy. I don't want to tell him he wrote a wrong date in the paper, because he'll start a fight.

Te advierto que soy muy susceptible, así que no hagas comentarios negativos sobre mi trabajo.
I warn you I'm very touchy, so you better don't make negative remarks on my work.


María está acomplejada por gorda. Le dije que su falda estaba muy bonita y se fue corriendo a cambiársela porque dijo que estaba muy apretada.
María has a complex about being fat. I told her that her skirt was pretty and she rushed to change it saying it was too tight.

Pedro dice que estoy muy acomplejada porque no me gusta ir a fiestas.
Pedro says I have some complex because I don't like going to parties.

Tienes complejo de inferioridad. Siempre crees que la gente te desprecia.
You have an inferiority complex. You always think people despises you.

[poli]

It should be known that having chip on one's shoulder is a special kind of
complex. It has been mentioned before, this term may not translate well into Spanish except perhaps in ponerse como leche hervida. Somehow I think this may mean prone to get angry in general which is a little different from having a chip on your shoulder which means to get peeved over a specific thing.

The best commonly understood term I can think of is guardar rencor (sobre algún asunto) o sesgo.

[Rusty]

This expression describes a person who wants to quarrel (looking for a fight - peleador). We generally ascribe this attitude to feelings of having been wronged (resentful). This is why I associated it with estar resentido / rencoroso.

Synonyms of the expression are:
beligerant, combative, contentious, disputacious, opinionated, quarrelsome or touchy (although 'touchy' sounds a tad weak)

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

I see...
In Mexico, someone always looking for a fight is a "peleonero".

·Deja de ser tan peleonera, nadie te está ofendiendo.
·Juan es muy peleonero, así que deja de provocarlo.
·Esos muchachos son unos peleoneros, siempre están buscando pretextos para golpear a alguien.

"Ponerse como leche hervida" in Mexico doesn't say much, but we have "estar como agua para chocolate", which means that someone is already angry (could be about something unrelated to the people around) and expecting a pretext for fighting.

[Glen]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Glen: "Ser un provocador" means you are the one who makes people react (or overreact) negatively.
"Tener un poco de complejo" sounds awkward for a Mexican ear. We'd say "estar (un poco) acomplejado" or "tener algunos / unos cuantos complejos".


A Mexican would also say about someone who is easily offended or touchy (because of their complexes or because they feel always attacked or so) that he/she is "muy susceptible".

Juan es muy susceptible. No quiero decirle que puso una fecha equivocada en el documento, porque va a hacer un pleito.
Juan is too touchy. I don't want to tell him he wrote a wrong date in the paper, because he'll start a fight.

Te advierto que soy muy susceptible, así que no hagas comentarios negativos sobre mi trabajo.
I warn you I'm very touchy, so you better don't make negative remarks on my work.


María está acomplejada por gorda. Le dije que su falda estaba muy bonita y se fue corriendo a cambiársela porque dijo que estaba muy apretada.
María has a complex about being fat. I told her that her skirt was pretty and she rushed to change it saying it was too tight.

Pedro dice que estoy muy acomplejada porque no me gusta ir a fiestas.
Pedro says I have some complex because I don't like going to parties.

Tienes complejo de inferioridad. Siempre crees que la gente te desprecia.
You have an inferiority complex. You always think people despises you.

Thank you, especially for giving all those examples! They really help.

[vita32]

I appreciate everybody's comments and yes, for Angelica's many examples.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Glad it's useful.