yakkety yak
Nonstop trivial talking
Yakkety yak is idle, persistent chatter—talk that goes on and on without saying much.
The reduplicated form emphasizes the repetitive, trivial nature of the conversation: Enough yakkety yak, let's get to work.
Sometimes hyphenated.
The 1958 Coasters song helped popularize the expression.
- chit-chatInformal trivial conversation
- idle chatterTrivial, aimless conversation
- chatterLight, rapid speech
- gabLight, meaningless talk
- gift of gabNatural speaking ability
conversation · coffee talk · water cooler talk · babble · shoot the breeze · jabber · natter · yammer · prattle · banter · small talk · chew the fat · spill the tea · chinwag · blather · run one's mouth · talk someone's ear off · bend someone's ear