A number of folks have asked about the origin of some of the phrases used by Merchant Seaman John on Wednesday.
It appears that "Chop chop" is a phrase rooted in Cantonese[1]. This term has its origins in the South China Sea, as a Pidgen English version of the Chinese term k'wâi-k'wâi (Chinese: 快快; pinyan: kuài kuài), which spread through Chinese workers at sea; it was adopted by English seamen.
"Chop chop" refers to "hurry, hurry" and means something should be done now, advance and without any delay. The word "chopsticks" likely originates from this root. The earliest known citation of chop-chop in print is from the English language newspaper that was printed in Canton in the early 19th century – The Canton Register, 13 May 1834: "We have also… 'chop-chop hurry'." The earliest recorded use outside of China is in the London Daily Chronicle on 4 July 1909: "In pidgin English 'chop-chop' means 'make haste'."
The phase even made it to a TV advert: