Why called "Choppers" ?

[dmagary]

Why is Lambda Chi Alpha called the choppers? Any story behind it? Thanks.

[docroc67]

Originally Posted by dmagary

Why is Lambda Chi Alpha called the choppers? Any story behind it? Thanks.

As far as I know it was used by us as an alternative to the more demeaning nickname of "Lamb Chops."

I could be wrong, but that's what I learned in 1964.

Any other origin stories?

Yours in ZAX,

Mike Raymond

[GammaZeta]

Believe it or not, I never heard of the term "lamb chops" or "choppers" until I met LXA's from outside of New England.

Never really made sense to me.

[Albert109]

Originally Posted by docroc67

As far as I know it was used by us as an alternative to the more demeaning nickname of "Lamb Chops."

I could be wrong, but that's what I learned in 1964.

Any other origin stories?

Yours in ZAX,

Mike Raymond

It's never been explained outright, but it's just made sense to me: Lambda Chi --> Lamb Chops --> Chops/Choppers. I don't know if Lamb Chops is demeaning, but just an extension. I myself have never heard it used.

I had never heard this used until I went on a cruise and was wearing letters and some guy came up to me and asked me if I was a "Chopper" too... I was taken aback a bit since I had never heard this used.

[HONKY660]

We use Choppers as a nickname at our chapter. When I have attended conferences many chapters have shirts and stuff that say Choppers, especially for intramurals. We used to call girls that several brothers had "dated" "Chopper Hoppers!"

[Bilski]

Haha, I remember the first time I heard that nickname. I was working a water stand during the Kentucky Derby Festival's MiniMarathon for community service, and one of the runners comes by, grabs a cup of Gatorade and yells "Good job, Chops!" He must have thought I was nuts considering the ridiculous face I made as he passed by. Our High Pi was there as well and explained it to us (I'm guessing it was more common at his school).

[Cube TX]

I'm not sure which edition or what page, but there's a picture in a Paedagogus which has a few brothers on it who have been playing some kind of intramural basketball game and are wearing team shirts that say "Choppers".

I first heard the term myself in 1996. I was with a few of the other guys on a trip to Tucson, AZ to go to the Univ. of Arizona Watermelon Bust. It was a fantastic trip and great party. Anyway, after the party was over we were hanging out in front of the house and someone who was passing by was trying to impress everyone and peeled out on the street. He obviously wasn't the greatest driver and hit a car in front of the SigEp house next door. I went running to see what had happened, but the guy backed up and peeled out again as he sped off.

So there's a group of several people and we're looking at the damage to the car he hit. We're also talking trash about the SigEps and about what a moron this guy was who'd hit the car when a guy named Justin, who had traveled from ASU in Tempe, suddenly asked, "Hey, I got a question... how many CHOPPERs do we have here?" I raised my hand proudly and then he and I realized that we were the only two Lambda Chis there. The rest were SigEps from next door who had come out of their house. I guess they were too distracted to realize we'd been making fun of them and said nothing.

I wonder whatever happened to that driver and how that SigEp paid for the damage to his car.

[sanjiyan69]

gotta love the Chopper Hoppers!

I don't really know the origin of "Choppers", but I've heard other people calling us Lamb Chops quite a bit.

[Fudd7405]

My chapter in New Orleans had a dog named Chopper. ; ()

[EX1127]

Here at Mississippi State we have jerseys with choppers across the front for intramural

[justincase22]

The term came from Lambda Chi or shortened to Lamb Chops as a demeaning term used by other organizations. I cannot say for sure when the term was turned around to just Choppers which has a bigger apeal to it meaning tougher, and stronger.
One other that I heard was Lamby Pi way back when.

[Cube TX]

That's a good point -- Choppers just sounds "tougher" than Lamb Chops... which is a name that I never really liked.

[ImHere]

I dated a LCA in college and they referred to themselves as both Lambchops and/or Choppers. It wasn't negative, just a nickname.

[Chopman]

It was a negative slang term in the '80s and then chapters "owned" it themselves. Lamb-chops is where it came from. Not very creative as a negative though.