What is "chopsocky"

n. (context film colloquial English) A genre of exaggerated martial arts films made primarily in Hong Kong and Taiwan during the 1960s and 1970s.

Chopsocky (alternately spelled "chop-socky") is a colloquial term applied to a diffuse group of martial arts movies, kung fu films made primarily in Hong Kong and Taiwan between the late 1960s and early 1980s, and computer/video games. The term was coined by the American motion picture trade magazine Variety. The word is a play on chop suey, combining "chop" (as in karate chop; a strike with the edge of the hand) and "sock" (as in a punch).

The term was usually characterized by over-blown story-lines, cheesy special effects (particularly exaggerated and sometimes-bizarre sound effects during the actual fight scenes), and excessive violence. These movies also were known for their clumsy dubbing. Although it is commonly used as if it were a name of martial arts cinema by the general media, the word can be a disparaging term against it as a whole. Another common meaning is a generalization for martial-art movies from Asia or Hong Kong in particular without necessarily having the negative spin connotation. Variety magazine, the originator of the term, defined Chopsocky simply as a martial arts film with no negative connotations.