yarning
Telling tall tales
Yarning is the act of telling stories or engaging in informal, often lengthy conversation.
In Australian and New Zealand English, yarning has particular cultural significance among Indigenous communities, where it describes a traditional form of storytelling and knowledge-sharing.
More casually, yarning means spinning tales or chatting at length: We spent the evening yarning about the old days.
The term comes from the expression "spin a yarn," which suggests the drawn-out, winding nature of storytelling.
Account of events
- anecdoteBrief account of incident
- taleSpoken or written narrative
- campfireOutdoor fire for gathering
- conversationExchange of spoken ideas
chat · rambling · recounting · sharing · oral · elder · gathering · reminiscing
Australia's native peoples
- DreamtimeAboriginal mythological creation era
- elderSenior figure of authority
- circleCurved closed shape
- countrySovereign state or territory
connection · community · tradition · knowledge · sharing · cultural · ceremony · sitting
narrative
Account of events
conversation · chat · rambling · recounting · sharing · oral · elder · gathering · reminiscing · digression
Aboriginal
Australia's native peoples
- DreamtimeAboriginal mythological creation era
- elderSenior figure of authority
- circleCurved closed shape
country · connection · community · tradition · knowledge · sharing · cultural · ceremony · sitting · listening
knitting
Loop-based textile making
- crochetHooked needle needlework
- weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
- stitchingJoining with needle, thread
wool · needles · thread · fiber · textile · handmade · macrame · embroidery · skein · spool
roving
Moving from place to place
ply · bobbin · treadle · drafting · worsted · carding · flax · weft · warp · merino
yarningtruth-telling
Communicating only facts
stating facts · documenting · reporting · testifying · chronicling
yarningcutting to the chase
Proceeding to essentials immediately
getting to the point · lecturing · technical writing · briefing · summarizing
yarninglistening
Attending to sound
keeping mum · addressing · orating · making a statement · silence