choppy

[ chop-ee ]

/ ˈtʃɒp i /

(of the sea, a lake, etc.) forming short, irregular, broken waves.

(of the wind) shifting or changing suddenly or irregularly; variable.

uneven in style or quality or characterized by poorly related parts: The book was a choppy first novel.

Origin of choppy

First recorded in 1595–1605; chop² + -y¹

chop·pi·ly, adverb chop·pi·ness, noun

The San Francisco Chronicle called it "choppy and flawed," CNN "a bizarre failure."

Clooney: A Constant Charmer at the Altar |Tim Teeman |September 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
(The choppy, inert 2000 TV movie with Toby Stephens, Mira Sorvino and Paul Rudd barely registered a blip).

The Great Gatsby: Book Versus Movie |Jon Reiner |May 10, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
But it is setting off on a new course, alone, into choppy seas.

Why Time Warner Felt It Had to Spin Off Magazine Unit Time Inc. |Daniel Gross |March 7, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
After a choppy run in the U.S., could David Beckham be headed to Paris—or China?

What’s Next for David Beckham? |Daniel Ferris |December 2, 2012 |DAILY BEAST

You see, when states have the ability to curtail the applications of a Constitutional right, you get into choppy waters.

Martha Plimpton on Women’s Rights, Sandra Fluke, and Organization A is For |Martha Plimpton |November 5, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
They have a short, choppy stride, far different to the gangling gait of the American soldier.

Our Army at the Front |Heywood Broun
The boat was still moving with unabated speed, and the dark, choppy water stretched all round them.

The Blue Pavilions |Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
The water was choppy and roily, the canoe bobbed a good deal, the anchors dragged, and we did not see any fish.

Tales of Fishes |Zane Grey
It was at about this time that the siren in the Shed began its choppy, hiccoughing series of warm-up notes.

Space Platform |Murray Leinster
Or the fog comes down over a choppy sea with a whizzing wind that sets the whitecaps flying backward like a horse's mane.

Vikings of the Pacific |Agnes C. Laut

choppy

/ (ˈtʃɒpɪ) /

(of the sea, weather, etc) fairly rough

choppily, adverb choppiness, noun