chops

1. (slang) Jaws, lips, mouth.Examples: "[…]who knows but ſome fine lady of St. James's pariſh might admit into her delicate mouth thoſe very cherries, which had been rolled and moiſtened between the filthy, and, perhaps, ulcerated chops of a St. Giles's huckſter[…]"; "If we'd a had a second-hand crystal ball to look into, we’d have seen the lean and gripy times ready to smack us in our chops by the year the depression rolled around, when the big commercial outfits got complete control of the popular-music business."pluralplural-onlyslang

2. (originally US jazz slang) One's skill at musical interpretation and delivery; musical performance ability.Examples: "Although the bass player had no experience playing in New Orleans, the crowd's enthusiastic response showed that he had the chops to make it in the very particular Crescent City jazz scene."; "Recently, I have taken up the double bass again, but because time and neglect erode ability, calluses turn soft, and muscle memory fades, I need to woodshed (practice) to get back into shape and build up my chops."pluralplural-only

3. (informal, by extension) One's skill at any endeavor; ability, talent; competency.Examples: "Although he did not know all of the ins and outs of the newsroom, he had the writing chops to become a regular contributor."; "["]If you don't have a guy who gives you that, despite the greatest acting chops in the world, the show is not going to succeed," Gilligan adds."; "In Sean Hannity's interview with Herman Cain, the Fox News host asks, with his signature slow-pitch softball style, whether the former CEO has the necessary foreign policy chops to be president."broadlyinformalpluralplural-only

4. (nautical) The area where two tides meet and cause an irregular (choppy) sea.pluralplural-only

5. (juggling) A pattern that involves carrying the object with the hand over the next object before throwing it.pluralplural-only

6. (Australia, Nigeria, slang) Food.AustraliaNigeriapluralplural-onlyslang