bandies around
Tosses about carelessly
To bandy something around is to pass it casually from person to person, like a ball being tossed back and forth.
The phrase most often applies to words, ideas, or names mentioned repeatedly in discussion: His name has been bandied around as a potential candidate.
The usage suggests something treated lightly or without much care—figures bandied around in budget debates, rumors bandied around the office.
- mentionBrief verbal acknowledgment
- loose talkUnguarded, indiscreet speech
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
- flippantCarelessly disrespectful
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
idle chatter · circulate · assumption · hearsay · word of mouth · conjecture · innuendo · cavalier · myth · guesswork · common knowledge · discuss · offhand · off the cuff · exaggeration · fabrication · spread · chatter
information handling
bandies aroundkeeps to oneself
withholds · suppresses · conceals · holds back · sits on