table talk

Alternative forms

• table-talk

Noun

table talk (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) Conversation, especially of an informal or somewhat gossipy nature, among a group seated together for a meal or other social activity.
   • 1874, Edward Payson Roe, chapter 33, in Opening a Chestnut Burr:

     [T]hey all came out to supper. . . . She was also pleased to see how Gregory toned up the table-talk and skilfully led it away from disagreeable topics.

   • 1921, P. G. Wodehouse, chapter 1, in Indiscretions of Archie:

     He ate like a starving Eskimo. . . . The growing boy evidently did not believe in table-talk when he could use his mouth for more practical purposes.

   • 1937 Feb. 8, "Music: Stage Dagger," Time:

     Grand Opera mishaps are usually more silly than solemn, and provide people with amusing table talk.

   • 1995 April 11, "Inside: p. B3," New York Times (retrieved 18 Sep 2012):

     On the first day of a new statute in New York City to restrict smoking, the table talk in many restaurants was about lighting up.

   • 2007 Jan. 5, "It's late, poker's on," The Herald (Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA):

     [E]ven though there are announcers, they largely remain quiet, letting us hear all the table talk that goes on during and in between hands.

References

• table talk at OneLook Dictionary Search