Are you feeling like people don't value your opinion? Maybe you're feeling underappreciated by friends and family? If so, you could use the saying, "what am I, chopped liver?" This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The expression "what am I, chopped liver?" is an inflammatory statement meant to let others know that you feel underappreciated or left out of a task or project. It's a way of saying that you think no one values your opinion or effort.
This rhetorical question is suitable for situations where you feel you're getting less consideration or attention than you deserve.
You can use the saying when referring to people around you not paying attention to what you have to say. It's also a great retort to someone that brushes off your input in a conversation.
Example Usage
"What do you mean everyone else did a great job? What am I, chopped liver? Don't you see the value I added to the project?"
"Oh sure, go ahead and do all the planning without me; it's not like you need my feedback. What am I, chopped liver to you people?"
"What am I, chopped Liver? How could you do that without consulting me first?"
"What am I, chopped liver? You never take anything I say seriously."
"I'm starting to feel frustrated with this. You've asked everyone else but me for an opinion. What am I, chopped liver?"
"You're not including me in the decision. Don't you value my opinion? What am I, chopped liver?"
"Why are you avoiding me about this? What am I, chopped liver?"
"Seriously, you don't even care what I have to say about all of this? What am I, chopped liver?"
Origin
Language experts are unclear about the origin of the expression. There are two theories involving the advent of the saying. The first involves the nutritional impression that the liver doesn’t offer any nutritional value to our diet.
For instance, butchers gutting and cleaning animals for food in the 1900s would throw away the gizzards and internal organs of the animal, believing them to be inferior meats. Some people may cook the giblets and give them to their pets as a treat.
The second origin story comes from a comic strip published in the Ames Daily Tribune in 1971. Dick Cavalli created the strip “Winthrop,” where the expression appears in its modern format, referring to people feeling underappreciated by others.
Phrases Similar to What Am I Chopped Liver?
- Why are you leaving me out?
- Don’t you see any value in me?
- You think you’re better than me.
Phrases Opposite to What Am I Chopped Liver?
- Thanks for the kind words.
- I’m glad you see value in me.
What is the Correct Saying?
- What am I, chopped liver?
Ways People May Say What Am I Chopped Liver? Incorrectly
The phrase doesn’t refer to the liver or any organ. It’s a way of telling someone that you feel underappreciated or left out in proceedings. Using the phrase to describe cooking, food, or eating is incorrect.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase What Am I Chopped Liver?
You can use the phrase “what am I, chopped liver?” when you’re trying to tell someone that they don’t see any value in your and you deserve more respect in the situation. Depending on the context, the phrase has a comical or serious connotation, and it suits social and professional use.
For instance, you could use the phrase if your friends are making plans and they leave you out. Or you could use it when someone praises the team at work and they leave you out of the commendations.