Blk 1 - The use of TALK in Informal language

TALK – Oxford English Language teaching

look who’s talking/you can talk/ you’re a fine one to talk (informal)
used to tell somebody that they should not criticize somebody else for something because they do the same things too: Person A: ‘George is so careless with money.’ Person B: ‘Look who’s talking!’

now you’re talking (informal)
used when you like what somebody has suggested very much

talk about ... (informal)
used to emphasize something : Talk about mean! She didn’t even buy me a card. (2nd Assessment: Sovereign of the Seas review: ‘Talk about the march of progress’)

talk dirty (informal)
to talk to somebody about sex in order to make them sexually excited

talk the hind leg off a donkey (informal)
to talk too much, especially about boring or unimportant things

talking of somebody/something (informal, especially British English)
used when you are going to say more about a subject that has already been mentioned: Talking of Sue, I met her new boyfriend last week.

talk shop (usually disapproving)
to talk about your work with the people you work with, especially when you are also with other people who are not connected with or interested in it: Whenever we meet up with Clive and Sue they always end up talking shop.

talk the talk (informal, sometimes disapproving)
to be able to talk in a confident way that makes people think you are good at what you do: You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? (= can you act in a way that matches your words?)

talk through your hat (old-fashioned, informal)
to say silly things while you are talking about a subject you do not understand

talk tough (on sth) (informal)
to tell people very strongly what you want

talk turkey (informal, especially NAmE)
to talk about sth seriously

talk your way out of sth / of doing sth
to make excuses and give reasons for not doing sth; to manage to get yourself out of a difficult situation: I managed to talk my way out of having to give a speech.



PHRASAL VERBS
talk around / round (something):
to talk about sth in a general way without dealing with the most important parts of it: We spent a whole hour talking around the problem before looking at ways of solving it.

talk at (somebody):
to speak to somebody without listening to what they say in reply: You can’t have a real conversation with him—he just talks at you all the time.

talk back (to somebody)
to answer sb rudely, especially somebody in authority

talk down (to somebody)
to speak to sb as if they were less important or intelligent than you

talk (somebody) into / out of (something)
to persuade sb to do/not to do sth: I didn’t want to move abroad but Bill talked me into it.


talk (somebody) round to ( something) (BrE)
to persuade sb to accept sth or agree to sth: We finally managed to talk them round to our way of thinking.

talk (somebody) through (something)
to explain to sb how sth works so that they can do it or understand it: Can you talk me through the various investment options?

talk (something) through
to discuss sth thoroughly until you are sure you understand it: It sounds like a good idea but we’ll need to talk it through.

talk (somebody or something) up
to describe sb/sth in a way that makes them sound better than they really are: They talked up the tourist attractions to encourage more visitors.


‘Talk’ used as a NOUN

WORDS WITHOUT ACTIONS (informal)
words that are spoken, but without the necessary facts or actions to support them: It’s just talk. He’d never carry out his threats. Don’t pay any attention to her—she’s all talk.

STORIES / RUMOURS
stories that suggest a particular thing might happen in the future: There was talk in Washington of sending in troops. She dismissed the stories of her resignation as newspaper talk. There’s talk that he’s a difficult actor to work with.

TOPIC / WAY OF SPEAKING
a topic of conversation or a way of speaking:
business talk ;
She said it was just girl talk that a man wouldn’t understand.
The book teaches you how to understand Spanish street talk (= slang).
It was tough talk, coming from a man who had begun the year in a hospital bed.
(see also 'small talk, sweet talk, trash talk)

the talk of something : the person or thing that everyone is talking about in a particular place: Overnight, she became the talk of the town (= very famous).