X
Well attestedIndirect, via a person or titleOffensive

have more chins than Chinatown

verb · first attested 1988

Most English speakers met this phrase through a hit parody single.

To be very fat, especially under the jaw.

Another word
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Record

Relationship
Indirect, via a person or title
Confidence
Well attestedThe place link is the standard scholarly account.
Usage
OffensiveWidely regarded as offensive in current use.
Attested
1988
Part of speech
verb
Sources
Wiktionary: have more chins than ChinatownWikidata: Q148

Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.

How it traveled
  1. Step 1

    People's Republic of China

  2. In English

    have more chins than Chinatown

The entry

Like its twin it puns on chin and the Chinese surname Chin, but it counts the residents of a Chinatown instead of the entries in a phone book; Chinatown is itself a word built from China. Weird Al Yankovic put the line in Fat, his April 1988 parody of Michael Jackson's Bad, and Wiktionary credits him with popularizing this version. Wiktionary labels the phrase humorous and offensive.

Also pinned to People's Republic of China

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People's Republic of China

13 more words from People's Republic of China

All 21 entries
cashmereThe wool is Kashmir, spelled the old English way.KashmirshanghaiThe verb is named for a port, not for a method invented there alone.ShanghaichinaThe teacup is named for the country that made porcelain famous in Europe.JingdezhenkaolinThe clay behind porcelain is named for a hill in Jiangxi.JingdezhennankeenThe yellow cotton is named for Nanjing.NanjingXanaduThe dream palace was a real Mongol capital.ShangdusatinThe cloth is usually traced to a Chinese port's Arabic name.QuanzhouPeking duckThe dish carries the older English spelling of Beijing.Beijing
Nearest pins
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