chunter
/ˈtʃʌntə
/verb [no object] British informal
1Talk or grumble monotonously: she chuntered on about her problems...
- This, remember, is the figure who won the British Amateur at Troon last month, and who chuntered on about how pivotal his car had been in the victory, having provided him with a comfortable place to soak up his classical music.
- McGrath just chunters away like the worst kind of hectoring mother-in-law.
- As I left, she was chuntering away to the next customer about the crazy people she has to deal with during the day and how we make her life an absolute misery.
2 [with adverbial of direction] Move along slowly and noisily: the car came chuntering up the track...
- While most of the big cruise ships passed in the night, occasionally one would chunter past by day, its passengers looking down at us and we up at them.
Origin
Late 17th century: probably imitative.
Rhymes
- flagelliform
- flagellin
- flagellum
- flageolet
- flagfall
- flagfish
- flag-flying
- flag football
- flagged
- flagger
- Flagg, James Montgomery
- flagitious
- flagitiously
- flagitiousness
- Flagler, Henry Morrison
- flag lieutenant
- flagman
- flag of convenience
- flag officer
- flag of truce
- flagon
- flagon wagon
- flagpole
- flagrancy
- flag rank