English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
Shoot the breeze
Meaning
"Shoot the breeze" is an idiomatic expression that means to pass time or chat casually, often about trivial matters. It can also mean to gossip or talk about someone behind their back.
Usage
- I'm not in the mood for a serious conversation right now, let's just shoot the breeze.
- We were shooting the breeze with our friends when we heard some exciting news.
- Instead of studying, I spent hours shooting the breeze with my family on social media.
- Don't shoot the breeze too much about your boss, they have a tendency to listen.
- We shot the breeze for hours, discussing everything from politics to pop culture.
Roots and History
The idiom "shoot the breeze" is believed to have originated in the Southern United States during the 19th century. It may have come from the practice of shooting at a tree or post while talking casually with friends. Over time, the expression came to mean simply chatting about nothing in particular. The use of the idiom has remained relatively consistent over the years, although it is now used more commonly in modern language and has become more mainstream.
Synonyms in English
- Pass the time
- Chat casually
- Bide your time
- Engage in idle conversation
- Discuss trivial matters
Synonyms in other languages
- Spanish: Hablar de nada (Talk about nothing)
- French: Parler des choses insignifiantes (Talk about insignificant things)
- German: Zufällig über alles reden (Randomly talk about everything)
- Italian: parlare di nulla (Talk about nothing)
- Japanese: 空気中話 (Conversation in the air)