table talk

table talk
1. informal conversation at meals.
2. a subject that is considered appropriate for conversation at meals.
[1560-70]

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      informal conversation at or as if at a dining table; especially, the social talk of a celebrity recorded for publication. Collections of such conversations exist from as early as the 3rd century AD, and the term has been in use in English since about the 16th century. The practice of recording conversations and sayings of the famous became especially popular in the 17th century. This material is especially useful for biographers and can be a form of literary biography in itself. One of the best-known examples of this is James Boswell's biography of Samuel Johnson, which consists mostly of Johnson's own words reproduced by Boswell.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Table talk — Table Ta ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. {Tabular}, {Taffrail}, {Tavern}.] 1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab. [1913 Webster] A bagnio paved with fair… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • table talk — n. informal conversation, as that taking place at meals …   English World dictionary

  • Table talk (literature) — Table talk is a species of memoir in which a collector (biographer, colleague, friend, etc.) records impromptu comments by some famous person (made generally at the dining table or in small get togethers), in anticipation of their lasting value.… …   Wikipedia

  • Table talk (disambiguation) — Table talk may refer to:* Table talk (literature) * Table talk (cards) …   Wikipedia

  • Table talk (cards) — For other uses, see Table talk. In certain card games, table talk is communication by a player with another player with the cards in their hand, contrary to the rules of the game. Such communication may be through explicitly naming cards, but it… …   Wikipedia

  • Table Talk (Cape Town) — The Table Talk is a local newspaper in the Table Bay region of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa …   Wikipedia

  • table talk — noun Date: circa 1569 informal conversation at or as if at a dining table; especially the social talk of a celebrity recorded for publication …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • table talk — ta′ble talk n. informal conversation at a meal • Etymology: 1560–70 …   From formal English to slang

  • table talk — noun conversation during a meal • Hypernyms: ↑conversation * * * noun [noncount] : informal conversation at a table or during a meal …   Useful english dictionary

  • table talk — /ˈteɪbəl tɔk/ (say taybuhl tawk) noun informal conversation at meals …  

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