talk the hind legs off a donkey
to talk non-stop
TRANSLATION
talk the hind legs off a donkey = pausenlos reden, jemandem ein Ohr abreden
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
He can TALK THE HIND LEGS OFF A DONKEY on the changing relationship between the print, radio and newer forms of digital media.
(The London Independent)
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Like a lot of ambitious politicians, John Edwards was handsome and charming and could TALK THE HIND LEGS OFF A DONKEY.
(www.realclearpolitics.com)
(The London Independent)
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Like a lot of ambitious politicians, John Edwards was handsome and charming and could TALK THE HIND LEGS OFF A DONKEY.
(www.realclearpolitics.com)
Did you
know?
talk the hind legs off a donkey
idiom (chiefly British)
- to talk without stopping for a long time
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
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WORD ORIGIN
There is some debate as to the exact origin of this phrase. One thought is that since the hind - or rear - legs of a donkey are extremely strong, it would take an enormous amount of chatter to "talk them off." Another theory suggests that it refers to someone who talks so much that they can make a donkey sit on its hind legs, which is an unusual position.
For some, the ability to talk the hind legs off a donkey is a gift. Politicians may find this "skill" useful for instance. For others, it may be a curse if their non-stop chatter causes an audience to stop listening. French writer and philosopher Rene Daumal put it more eloquently:
It is still not enough for language to have clarity and content... it must also have a goal and an imperative. Otherwise, from language we descend to chatter, from chatter to babble and from babble to confusion.
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SYNONYMS
babble, blather, chitchat, gab, gibber, go on, gossip, jabber, jaw, prate, prattle, ramble, run off at the mouth, twaddle
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"If you can't make your point clear, it doesn't help to be able to talk the hind legs off a donkey."
idiom (chiefly British)
- to talk without stopping for a long time
(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
---
WORD ORIGIN
There is some debate as to the exact origin of this phrase. One thought is that since the hind - or rear - legs of a donkey are extremely strong, it would take an enormous amount of chatter to "talk them off." Another theory suggests that it refers to someone who talks so much that they can make a donkey sit on its hind legs, which is an unusual position.
For some, the ability to talk the hind legs off a donkey is a gift. Politicians may find this "skill" useful for instance. For others, it may be a curse if their non-stop chatter causes an audience to stop listening. French writer and philosopher Rene Daumal put it more eloquently:
It is still not enough for language to have clarity and content... it must also have a goal and an imperative. Otherwise, from language we descend to chatter, from chatter to babble and from babble to confusion.
---
SYNONYMS
babble, blather, chitchat, gab, gibber, go on, gossip, jabber, jaw, prate, prattle, ramble, run off at the mouth, twaddle
(Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus)
---
SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION:
"If you can't make your point clear, it doesn't help to be able to talk the hind legs off a donkey."
