| 释义 |
▪ I. prittle-prattle, n. Now rare.|ˈprɪt(ə)lˌpræt(ə)l|
[Reduplicated extension of prattle n.]
Trivial, worthless, or idle talk; also, light, easy, familiar conversation, small talk; chatter, tittle-tattle; childish prattle. Also attrib.
1556Olde Antichrist 9 b, I could easily contemne their prittle prattle talking. Ibid. 30 To make much prittle prattle of Salomons temple. 1579–80North Plutarch (1676) 546 Every man's mouth was full of prittle prattle and seditious words. 1698Vanbrugh Prov. Wife iii. i, Our prittle-prattle will cure your spleen. 1714Mandeville Fab. Bees (1725) I. 287 We took delight in the..Prittle-Prattle of the innocent Babe. 1755Gentl. Mag. XXV. 419 Nor bear a part in prittle-prattle Of rumour-loving tittle-tattle. 1774Westm. Mag. II. 453 He is sure to be a prittle-prattle fellow. 1838Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life (1870) III. vi. 85 French, being the very language of chit-chat and prittle-prattle, is one reason why I like so much the ‘mémoires’ and letters of that gossiping nation.
b. A silly chatterer, a gossip.
[1602F. Herring Anat. 12 Being in high Credit..with my Gossip Prittle Prattle.] 1725Bailey Erasm. Colloq. 35 Don't be a prittle prattle, nor prate apace.
▪ II. † ˈprittle-ˈprattle, v. Obs.
[Reduplicated from prattle v.]
intr. To chatter, prate, talk idly. Hence † ˈprittle-ˈprattling ppl. a.
1552Latimer Serm., John ii. 1 (1584) 306 b, As our Papistes doe, which prittle prattle a whole day vppon theyr Beades, saying our Ladies Psalter. [1583Prittle and prattle see prattle v. 2.] 1602F. Herring Anat. 4 Iuglers, Pedlers, prittle-pratling Barbers. 1611J. Davis in Coryat Crudities Panegyr. Verses, For, he as t'were his mother's twittle-twattle (That's Mother-tongue) the Greeke can prittle-prattle. [1634Heywood Roy. King i. Wks. 1874 VI. 9 Welchman. Awe man, you prittle and prattle nothing but leasings and untruths. a1800Outlandish Knight xv. in Child Ballads i. (1882) 59/2 Don't prittle nor prattle, my pretty parrot, Nor tell no tales of me.] |