Belgium

chipoter

Meaning

to fiddle with something

Elsewhere

tripoter

Explanation

In France chipoter means to pick at your food, or to quibble. In Belgium it means fiddling about with something, the way France would say tripoter.

Example

Arrête de chipoter dans la serrure, tu vas la casser.

Stop fiddling with the lock, you'll break it.

Origin

From Old French chipe, meaning a rag or a scrap.

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