chit-chat

See also: chitchat and chit chat

English

Alternative forms

• chitchat, chit chat

Etymology

Reduplication of chat. Compare tittle-tattle, flim-flam, pitter-patter, etc.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

chit-chat (countable and uncountable, plural chit-chats)

1. Light conversation; casual talk, usually about trivial matters.
   • 2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 50:

     He speaks rapidly, with clarity and with obvious enthusiasm. No time is wasted on idle chit-chat.

   • 2024 November 11, Jake Bender & Zach Dunn, “Laszlo's Father” (20:06 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[1], season 6, episode 6, spoken by Lord Roderick Cravensworth (Steve Coogan):

     “What are you doing down here, father?” “Just having a bit of chitchat with your curious creation.” “Right.”

2. Gossip.

Synonyms

• (overlapping both senses): chinwag, claver, small talk; see also Thesaurus:chatter (meaningless types)

Translations

gossip

• Czech: (slang) tlachání n
• Danish: sludder c
• Dutch: roddel (nl) m
• Finnish: jutustelu (fi), rupattelu (fi)
• French: blabla (fr) m, parlotte (fr) f, bavardage (fr) m, causette (fr) f
• Galician: parola (gl) f, rexouba (gl) f
• Hungarian: csevegés (hu), pletykálás
• Icelandic: rabb n, mas n
• Irish: giob geab m
• Italian: pettegolezzo (it) m, chiacchiera (it) f, diceria (it) f, ciarla (it) f, maldicenza (it) f
• Ladino: charlina f
• Norwegian: babbel
• Russian: болтовня́ (ru) f (boltovnjá)
• Scottish Gaelic: goileam m
• Spanish: cotilleo (es) m, cháchara (es) f, palique m, teque m

Verb

chit-chat (third-person singular simple present chit-chats, present participle chit-chatting, simple past and past participle chit-chatted)

1. (colloquial, intransitive) To engage in small talk, to discuss unimportant matters.

Translations

to engage in small talk

• Czech: (slang) tlachat (cs), bavit se (cs), (slang) kecat (cs)
• Danish: småsnakke, sludre
• Dutch: over koetjes en kalfjes praten
• Finnish: jutustella (fi), rupatella (fi)
• French: blablater (fr), parler de la pluie et du beau temps (fr), parler de tout et de rien (fr), tailler une bavette (fr)
• Galician: parolar (gl)
• German: über Gott und die Welt reden (de)
• Hungarian: cseveg (hu), pletykál (hu)
• Polish: gawędzić (pl)
• Portuguese: tagarelar (pt) ((informal))
• Russian: болта́ть (ru) (boltátʹ), лясы точить (ru) impf (ljasy točitʹ)
• Spanish: cotillear (es), charlotear (es)
• Swedish: småprata (sv)

See also

• chitter-chatter