chin-wag

1 of 2

noun

ˈchin-ˌwag 

plural chin-wags

chiefly British, informal

: a friendly conversation : chat

"If I get 15 minutes—the kids are at school, everyone's brushed their teeth, they've eaten—I can sit with a coffee and call a girlfriend, and just have a chin-wag."

—Kate Winslet

chin-wag

2 of 2

verb

chin-wagged; chin-wagging; chin-wags

intransitive verb

chiefly British, informal

: to have a friendly conversation : chat

I called in to a neighbour, to see if he needed anything. … He told me he was fine for everything, and we chin-wagged for a while.

—Mark Boyle

They chin-wagged over wages, unions, benefits, working hours, …

—Bruce Clayton

Synonyms

Noun

• backchat
• cackle
• causerie
• chat
• chatter
• chin music
• chitchat
• confab
• confabulation
• gab
• gabfest
• gossip
• jangle
• jaw
• natter [chiefly British]
• palaver
• patter
• rap
• schmooze
• small talk
• table talk
• talk
• tête-à-tête

Examples of chin-wag in a Sentence

Noun

a tireless practitioner of chin-wag, she makes every other talker seem a little taciturn

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Current campaign face Cara Delevingne could be seen having a chin-wag with fellow long-time muse of the brand, Agyness Deyn. —Freya Drohan, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1869, in the meaning defined above