Applied to something empty, vain, trifling, or unsubstantial. Empty talk, vain or ineffectual speech, mere ‘breath’ (cf. 11b); †occasionally empty…

Idle tale-telling, vain talk.

Foolish talk, nonsense, falsehood; an instance of this. Now rare.

Idle talk, chatter, jabber; an idle word. Obsolete.

Idle talk, babbling; wrangling.

Speech as distinguished from or contrasted with thought, action, or fact; mere words.

A foolish or ridiculous story; idle talk, nonsense; esp. in old wives' (women's) fables (archaic). Also †to take (something) for fable, to hold at…

Noisy talk, chatter; = clack, n. Obsolete or dialect.

The action or fact of speaking in a foolish, incoherent, or indiscreet manner; prattling; prating; tattling; an instance or example of any of these.

Din of speech, noise or clatter of human tongues; contemptuously, loquacious talk, chatter senseless or continuous.

The action of prate, v.; (originally) idle or foolish talk, esp. of a tediously lengthy nature; (now usually) pompous or overbearing talk…

(words of) waste: useless talk. Obsolete.

Noisy talk; confused din of voices, gabble. Often applied contemptuously to what is treated as mere empty gabble.

Idle tales or talk; gossip; chatter.

Foolish, incoherent, or excited talk; gabble; prattle; (also) meaningless prating; empty rhetoric. Also: an instance of any of these. Cf. -babble…

The action of tattling; idle or frivolous talk; chatter, gossip.

Idle talk or chatter; esp. casual conversation or gossip about other people and their lives, typically when characterized as trivial, involving…

Chatter; idle or frivolous talk; prating, prattle, small talk. Obsolete.

= babble, n. 1.

Idle or empty talk; prating. (Very common in 16th cent.)

plural. That which is emitted as slaver; also figurative, drivellings.

Foolish or idle talk; nonsense.

The act or action of prating; talk; (in later use esp.) idle, profitless, or irrelevant talk; chatter, prattle; (also) an instance of this.

= babble, n. 1.

= pribble, n.

A petty or pointless dispute, a squabble; trivial or nonsensical speech or writing; squabbling, quarrelling; idle chit-chat. Only in collocation pr…

Foolish words or talking. Obsolete.

Idle, empty, or childish talk; = bibble-babble, n.

Mere audible effect, without significance or real importance.

Trifling talk.

‘Idle or vaine speaking.’ Cockeram 1623.

(See quots.)

Foolish or silly words, nonsense, twaddle; an utterance of this type; cf. drivel, n.2 2. Later also: the action of speaking or writing in a foolish…

Jabbering; jabber; senseless and voluble talk.

Babbling chatter.

Foolish talking; babbling.

Vague or undecided talk or statement; indecision, shilly-shallying; a frivolous excuse.

Foolish or senseless talk, babble, bosh, twaddle.

Idle garrulous talk, to little purpose, or with little sense; an idle story, a piece of idle gossip.

Voluble talk void of sense.

Foolish talk, idle chatter, gossip; nonsense, rubbish. Usually in plural.

Idle talk.

Chiefly Scottish and English regional (northern). The action or an act of talking foolishly or inconsequentially; empty talk, nonsense; chatter…

figurative. Drivel, nonsense; also, gross flattery.

Idle talk; incessant chatter or gossip.

Nonsense, rubbish; foolish or empty talk.

(See quot. 1834.)

Idle talk, prattle, chattering.

Idle, incoherent, or rambling talk or writing; an instance of this.

tattling, chatter.

Slobbering talk.

Gossip. Also in general colloquial use with the sense: silly talk, blather, nonsense.

Nonsense, trifling; usually fiddle-faddle, n. adj.int.

Incessant talk of a trivial kind; prate, tattle.

slang. British. A lurid or sensational tale or account, purporting to be true, and printed in a sheet or pamphlet to be sold on the streets. Now histo…

Foolish or silly words; nonsense, twaddle.

Rambling talk, drivel; an example of this (usually in plural).

inflated talk.

Nonsense. Cf. blether, n.

figurative (usually derogatory). A confused muddle; an incoherent jumble of thoughts and ideas; speech or writing characterized by feeble or cloying…

Foolish, sentimental, or fawning speech or writing; nonsense, drivel.

slang (originally U.S.). Empty talk, nonsense, ‘stuff’, ‘blather’.

Stupid or silly talk; nonsense.

Nonsense; foolish or empty talk; = drivel, n.2 2 colloquial (originally U.S.).

slang (chiefly Australian). Nonsense, meaningless talk.

Talk or conversation; spec. talk that is misleading, untrue, empty, or pretentious; hence, anything false, worthless, or unpleasant; vaguely…

A chat, an informal talk. As a mass noun: chatter, aimless talk.

A part of a performance or dramatic repertoire; an act or routine, esp. one that is familiar or recurring; a gimmick or gag. Also (in later use) as…

Gossip, friendly chat. Also: idle talk, empty rhetoric. Cf. ole talk, n.

slang. Also yak. Incessant talk of a trivial or boring nature. Frequently reduplicated and as int.

(a) n. = yack, n.2 2a; (b) v. intransitive = yack, v.

= old talk, n.

Convoluted or obfuscatory language of a type supposedly characteristic of Alexander Haig, esp. in his dealings with the press; unintelligible…