Chips
What it really means
In the UK, chips are hot fried potato sticks — what Americans call fries. Thin ones in fast-food places are often called "fries"; thick ones from a chip shop are "chips".
Context, tips & common mistakes
British chips are thick-cut fried potatoes — chunkier and softer than fries — and the terminology triangle catches every newcomer: UK chips = US fries; UK crisps = US chips; while thin fast-food fries are called 'fries' here too, so McDonald's sells fries but the chippy sells chips. Order 'chips' at a fish and chip shop, 'fries' at a burger chain, and you will never go wrong.
Chips carry cultural weight beyond the plate: 'chippy tea' (fish and chips for dinner) is a northern institution, cheesy chips and gravy fuel the post-pub nation, and the condiment protocols — salt and vinegar at the chippy, ketchup or mayo elsewhere, curry sauce for the adventurous — are applied before the paper is wrapped, so answer the 'salt and vinegar?' question decisively.