Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

shoot the breeze

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.80 in modern English

Syllables: shoot the breeze
IPA

31

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

American usage; Slang

Example Sentences

"We were just standing around shooting the breeze."
"Oh, I've just been upstairs with your boss, shooting the breeze… shooting his fish."
"Listen, I came here to do some business, not shoot the breeze. If you want to expound your personal philosophies, write another book."

Etymology

A slang phrase, alluding to talking into the wind, and first recorded in 1919. In the variant, first recorded in 1908, the word bull is used instead of breeze, and means empty talk or lies.

Usage

American usage
Slang

Inflected Forms

shoots the breeze (present, singular) shooting the breeze (participle, present) shot the breeze (participle, past) shot the breeze (past)

Phrases

chew the cud

Frequently Paired Words

chew the cud

Synonyms

bat the breeze chew the fat shoot the shit shoot the bull talk about the weather chat confabulate confab chitchat chit-chat chatter chaffer

Questions

What does shoot the breeze mean?: To chat idly or generally waste time talking.
Where does shoot the breeze come from?: A slang phrase, alluding to talking into the wind, and first recorded in 1919. In the variant, first recorded in 1908, the word bull is used instead of breeze, and means empty talk or lies.

How to pronounce shoot the breeze

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