Chives does have tiny onion bulbs at the base but they are very small and slim. A photo is really needed because there are many onion family clumping plants which it could be.

There are many ornamentals that can have onion like bulbs and as far as I know not many are edible so no munching!

And yes, photo would help immensely.

FataMorgana

To eliminate the possibility that you have Muscari, or some other non-Allium, break off a leaf, squash it and sniff. Does it smell oniony? That would narrow it down a bit. Are the leaves round in cross section, i.e. little tubes, or are they flat bladed? Chives have tubular leaves. But so do Muscari so you need to sniff too.

Little tubes. It just is so dainty looking compared to my chives. Muscari doesn't grow here. I wish it did.

'Muscari doesn't grow here.' Really? I thought they grew everywhere. They're pretty weedy here.

Tubes would be right for chives but you still haven't told us about the smell.

And picture would be really helpful.

Hope it is not just what is called "onion grass" in the South! LOL That stuff is edible, but it is certainly not chives, the botanical name of which is Allium schoenoprasum. Ask your friend what the flowers look like.

The onion-y lawn weeds never will produce the ball of pinkish-purple blooms that real chives produce in the spring, but a thin, often curling stalk later in the summer (if not mowed first) with a cluster of tiny white flowers that become little bulblets. These scatter around by means of wind, water, bird, or animal and quickly and happily (for them!) take root.
This link has good info, pictures, and the botanical names of the plant you may have...

Here is a link that might be useful: Onion grass, aka Wild onion or wild garlic

That's what it is. I had it id'ed at the ag center. He seems to want to keep it. He just moved into the house and is enjoying finding new things growing in the yard.

It always is good to wait through a full year before doing much when moving to a new yard just to see good or bad surprises. Hope nothing worse pops up, for it could be worse! Tell him to watch out for kudzu! LOL

We have Allium vineale in our side yard. It is perfectly mowable and it is nothing that needs to be poisoned away. It is only visible before the mowing starts. Of course it pops up in gardens but it is edible and easy to pull out...

FataMorgana

Here is a link that might be useful: pfaf - wild garlic

He doesn't want to kill it. He just wanted to know if it was edible.