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In Chapter 10 of Ulysses, there is another confusing quote among all the other innumerable "poetic" and "literary" and "metaphorical" ones:

Blazes Boylan walked here and there in new tan shoes about the fruitsmelling shop, lifting fruits, young juicy crinkled and plump red tomatoes, sniffing smells.

H. E. L. Y.’S filed before him, tallwhitehatted, past Tangier lane, plodding towards their goal.

He turned suddenly from a chip of strawberries, drew a gold watch from his fob and held it at its chain’s length.

(Italics mine)

What does "a chip of strawberries" mean in this case?

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The OED has the definition for chip:

Chiefly British. A small basket of a type used for packaging fruit. Cf. chip basket,

and for chip basket they have

chip basket n. a small, light basket made of thin flexible strips or shavings of wood woven or joined together and typically used for collecting or packing fruit and vegetables; now frequently historical.

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    Oh yeah, those things. Now they're all made out of single use plastic because humans suck.
    – Mazura
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 10:01
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    You also see punnet (oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/…).
    – J W
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 10:13
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    @Mazura - wood ones are still available, although they may cost more. You just need to shop somewhere charging you extra for things that are compostable, plastic-free and/or artisanal-looking
    – Useless
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 12:49
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    A chip is noticeably bigger than a punnet, the expectation would be that a customer would not buy the whole lot at once basketryandbeyond.org.uk/farmingtamar-valley-chip-baskets-2 last photo 'Picking box to hold two chips or eight punnets.'
    – Pete Kirkham
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 14:08
  • @Useless Yes, though I don't use the term 'chip basket' in the US, when reading the description it instantly brought to mind the small wooden baskets that I commonly encounter here at farmer's markets.
    – Glen Yates
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 17:42
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"Fig. 81. Chip Baskets of Strawberries" from The Fruit Grower's Guide (1891) by John Wright.

illustration of a rectangular basket with a handle filled with strawberries

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    Welcome M. V. Lovely illustration, the image would benefit from a text description for accessibility.
    – livresque
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 22:26

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