Meaning of Idiom ‘Small Talk’
Small talk means polite and casual conversation about very unimportant, trivial, or uninteresting topics; chitchat. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995.
Usage
This expression is often used as part of the phrase “make small talk.”
Examples Of Use
“I can’t go to another office party! It’s nothing but hours of small talk with people I see every day.”
“I’m going to be late to the meeting,” said Chris. “What am I supposed to do until you get there?” asked Nick. ” “Just make small talk,” said Chris.
“What have you guys been talking about?” asked Ali. “Just small talk,” said Nellie.
Origin
Used since the mid-1700s. 3Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
Small is used in this idiom to mean insignificant or unimportant.
More Idioms Starting with S
More Small Idioms
More Talk Idioms
- Talk The Hind Legs Off A Donkey
- Talk the Bark Off a Tree
- Talk Someone’s Ear Off
- Talk Nineteen to the Dozen
- Talk A Blue Streak
Sources
| 1, 3. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 2. | ↲ | Kirkpatrick, Elizabeth M. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Idioms. Ware: Wordsworth, 1995. |