small talk

What it means

Small talk is light, casual conversation about non-serious topics — the weather, weekend plans, a recent show — used to be polite or fill a social gap. It often happens at parties, in elevators, at networking events, or before meetings, and serves more of a social function than an informational one.

Examples

• I'm terrible at small talk at networking events.
• We made small talk about the weather while waiting for the train.
• A bit of small talk before the meeting helps people relax.
• He prefers deep conversation over endless small talk.

Where it comes from

An English expression recorded from the 18th century, where 'small' carries the sense of 'trivial' or 'unimportant.' It was already used in roughly its modern meaning by writers such as Lord Chesterfield in the 1750s.

Related idioms