To have a lively, relaxed conversation; to chat and hang out casually.
To talk casually with someone and have a good time chatting.
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
(Informal/slang) To have a casual, enjoyable conversation; to hang out and talk with someone.
"We spent the whole afternoon just chopping it up on the porch, talking about everything and nothing."
I got a chance to chop it up with him backstage after the show.
To cut something into small pieces.
"Chop it up into small cubes before you add it to the pan."
To chop something up into pieces — the figurative leap to 'exchanging words back and forth' mirrors the chopping metaphor.
To talk casually with someone and have a good time chatting.
Originates in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and hip-hop culture; now widely used in American informal English among young speakers. Also has a literal sense: to cut something into small pieces. The conversational sense is the more culturally loaded and distinctive use. Common in social media captions and urban speech.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
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