If someone is a chip off the old block, they are very similar to one of their parents in appearance, character, or behaviour. I've known Damon since he was a boy and he's a chip off the old block. He has exactly the same dry sense of humour. Corbett is a chip off the old block — a troublemaker and a bully just like his dad. Note: The `chip' in this expression is a small piece that has been cut off a block of wood.