Chippy

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɪpi/

Definitions

1. Being easily annoyed or irritable, especially for minor reasons
2. Describing a mischievous or playful behavior that may involve being cheeky or teasing
3. Characterizing a type of small wooden plank or fragment often used in construction or craftwork

Etymology: Old English "ċipp" meant a splinter or a piece cut off something, especially wood, and it goes back to a Proto-Germanic "kippōn" with the same idea of a cut-off fragment. English "chip" kept that sense of a small broken-off piece. The adjective adds the suffix "-y," which turns the noun into a description of something having its qualities. The idiom "a chip on the shoulder," meaning a readiness to take offence, explains the edge in the sense you have. Someone who is chippy seems to carry a little splinter of grievance and bristles easily. The playful, teasing sense is a looser extension of that quick, prickly temperament.

Synonyms: irritable, testy, touchy

Antonyms: calm, easygoing