talk trash

Phrasal verb from talk (“to speak of, to discuss”) + trash (“a worthless assertion for being untrue”).

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talk trash (third-person singular simple present talks trash, present participle talking trash, simple past and past participle talked trash)

1. (slang, idiomatic) To untruthfully speak of another in a belittling, deprecative, slighting manner, either in person or in absentia.

   Synonym: slander

2. (slang, idiomatic) To speak boastfully or tauntingly about oneself in contrast with another person or other people.

   Synonym: talk smack

   • February 6, 2013, Jackie MacMullan, article: Kobe Bryant Dishes on Celtics , ESPN online:

     "If there's one Celtic that tries to talk smack to me, it will be Paul (Pierce)," Kobe reported. "We're similar in age, have been through some of the same things, so he feels like he can try. But he's not as good at it as I am. I don't talk trash often, but when I do, I go for the jugular." "(Today's younger players) don't seem to want to talk any trash," Kobe shrugged. "I say everything to LeBron. He says nothing back. He just laughs. There's no banter back and forth. I guess it's a generational thing. When I first came into the league, the trash talk was downright cutthroat."

• This is an idiomatic instance of a general construction consisting of talk with the topic area as object of the verb. One can talk baseball, talk philosophy, or talk shop.

• talk shit (slang, vulgar)
• trash-talk

• trash talk
• trash talking

• trash talk, trashtalk, trash-talk