Talkee-talkee, subs. phr. (colloquial).—1. A corrupt dialect; jargon. Whence (2) chatter; verbiage. Also talky-talky.
1810 Southey, To John May, 5 Dec. The talkee talkee of the slaves in the sugar islands.
c. 1812. Edgeworth, Vivian, x. There's a woman, now, who thinks of nothing living but herself! All talkee talkee! I begin to be weary of her.
1854. Phillips, Essays, ii. 280. A style of language for which the inflated bulletins of Napoleon, the talkee-talkee of a North American Indian, and the song of Deborah might each have stood as a model.
1883. Sat. Rev., 10 Feb., 189. These Essays . . . are very talky-talky.
Talker, subs. (Harrow).—1. See
quot.
1898. Howson and Warner, Harrow School, 208. Then followed solos from those who could sing, and those who could not—it made no difference. The latter class were called talkers, and every boy was encouraged to stand up and talk it out.
2. See talk, verb.
Talking-iron, subs. phr, (American).—A
gun or rifle: also
Shooting-iron (q.v.).
1843-4. Haliburton, Attaché, ii. I hops out of bed, feels for my trunk, and outs with my talkin'-iron, that was all ready loaded.
Tall, adj. (old colloquial).—1.
Generic for worth. Thus tall
(= seemly) prayers; a tall
(= valiant) man; tall (= fine)
English; a tall (=courageous)
spirit; a tall (= celebrated)
philosopher; to stand tall
= to rely boldly; tally (= becomingly
or finely) attired; a
tall (= great) compliment, etc.
[Century, 'the word tall (=
high, lofty) as applied to a man
has been confused with tall,
fine, brave, excellent': cf., however,
sense 2]. Whence tall for
his inches = plucky for size.
c. 1430. Destr. Troy [E. E. T. S.], 3098. Ho tentit not in Tempull to no tall prayers.
c. 1360. William of Palerne [E. E. T. S.], 1706. Sche went forthe stille . . . and talliche hire a-tyred ti3lli there-*inne.
1364. Chaucer, Compl. Mars, 38. She made him at her lust so humble and talle.
1440. Prompt. Parv. 486. tal, or semely. Decens, elegans.
1448-60. Paston Letters, 224. One of the tallest (= fine) young men.
1595. Shakspeare Rom. and Juliet, ii. 4. The pox of such antic, lisping, affecting fantasticoes; . . . By jesu, a very good blade! a very tall man. . . . Ibid. (1599), Henry V., ii. 1. 72. Thy spirits are most tall. Ibid. (1602), Twelfth Night, i. 3. 20. He's as tall a man as any's in Illyria . . . he has three thousand ducats a year. Ibid. (1600), As You Like It, iii. 5. 118. He is not very tall, yet for his years he's tall.
1596. Jonson, Ev. Man in Humour, iv. 6. A tall man is never his own man till he be angry.
d. 1597. Peele, David and Bathsheba, xiii. Well done, tall soldiers!
c. 1600. Merry Devil of Edmonton, iii. 2. 162. He is mine honest friend and a tall keeper.
1613. Fletcher, Captain, ii. 2. And you, Lodovic, That stand so tally on your reputation. Ibid. (1619), Hum. Lieut., i. 4. We fought like honest and tall men.
d. 1665. Adams, Works, ii. 443. We are grown to think him that can tipple soundly a tall man.
1699. Bentley, Dis. Ep. Phalaris (1817), 398. A tall compliment.
1755. Bolingbroke, Frag. Essays, 65. Sounding imaginary fords, that are real gulfs, and wherein many of the tallest philosophers have been drowned.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas [Routledge], 175. Young Pedro was what we call a tall fellow for his inches.
