bandying about
Casually exchanging ideas
To bandy something about is to mention or discuss it casually, often without much care or precision: His name has been bandied about as a potential candidate.
The phrase suggests something being tossed around freely in conversation, passed from person to person without settling anywhere.
It often implies the topic deserves more careful treatment than it's getting: They've been bandying about figures without any real data.
- tossing aroundCasually sharing or throwing
- kicking aroundExisting somewhere unattended
- utteringProducing audible words
- chattingInformal verbal exchange
- idle chatterTrivial, aimless conversation
shooting the breeze · rumormongering · loose talk · word of mouth · spreading · bantering · repeating · paraphrasing · debating · exchanging · gossiping · quoting · discussing · circulating · making the rounds · jesting · floating · arguing
bandying aboutholding back
Preventing forward movement
withholding · keeping to oneself · suppressing · concealing · keeping mum