What does chiz mean?
Chiz is an informal British slang term for a cheat or swindle — anything that strikes the speaker as unfair or underhand. Used mainly as a noun ('what a chiz!'), it can also function as a verb meaning to cheat someone out of something. The word carries a light-hearted, schoolyard flavour rather than real anger: it belongs to the vocabulary of playground grievances, board games and minor injustices, and using it today lends a deliberately retro or comic tone to a complaint. Chiz entered wider circulation largely thanks to the 1970s British television comedy series The Goodies, whose catchphrase 'It's a chiz, chiz!' fixed the word in the public ear. Though it remains recognisably British and somewhat old-fashioned, it endures as a handy, affectionate way to protest that life simply isn't playing fair.
An act of cheating; a swindle or unfair arrangement.
"Cancelling the trip at the last minute was a real chiz."
Informal, chiefly British; often used in exclamations of mild indignation.
To cheat or trick someone; to gain an advantage unfairly.
"He tried to chiz his brother out of the last biscuit."
Less common than the noun form.
The plural is rare, as the word usually appears in singular exclamatory uses.
"The referee's decisions were all chizzes."
'Chiz' was catapulted into everyday British slang by a 1970s comedy sketch — proof that TV can put a word in the dictionary.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chiz
Chiz arose as mid-20th-century British slang, circulating among schoolchildren before reaching a national audience through the 1970s BBC comedy series The Goodies. Its exact origin is uncertain; it may relate to 'swiz' (slang for swindle), which shares both meaning and ending, though no direct lineage is firmly established. It remains chiefly British, informal, and somewhat dated.
How chiz is actually used
Strongly informal and chiefly British; it has a schoolyard, jokey register rather than a serious one. It sounds dated to many younger speakers but survives in colloquial use.
Easily confused with chiz
'Cheese' is the dairy product (or an idiom for money or being annoyed), while 'chiz' is slang for a cheat or swindle.
'Swiz' means essentially the same thing — a swindle — but is a separate word with its own spelling and history.