chit-chat

• chitchat, chit chat

Reduplication of chat. Compare tittle-tattle, flim-flam, pitter-patter, etc.

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chit-chat (countable and uncountable, plural chit-chats)

1. Light conversation; casual talk, usually about trivial matters.
   • 2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 50:

     He speaks rapidly, with clarity and with obvious enthusiasm. No time is wasted on idle chit-chat.

   • 2024 November 11, Jake Bender & Zach Dunn, “Laszlo's Father” (20:06 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[1], season 6, episode 6, spoken by Lord Roderick Cravensworth (Steve Coogan):

     “What are you doing down here, father?” “Just having a bit of chitchat with your curious creation.” “Right.”

2. Gossip.

• (overlapping both senses): chinwag, claver, small talk; see also Thesaurus:chatter (meaningless types)

chit-chat (third-person singular simple present chit-chats, present participle chit-chatting, simple past and past participle chit-chatted)

1. (colloquial, intransitive) To engage in small talk, to discuss unimportant matters.

• chitter-chatter