Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PALAVER

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pronounce PALAVER: Say it "puh LOV ur."  To hear it, click here. Check out how it almost rhymes with "dollar:"    "...Who've paid in palaver    And crumpled old dollars."    --The Decemberists, "On the Bus Mall" Another acceptable way to say it is "puh LAV ur." connect this word to others: You could define the word palaver as "talk that's thrown around." If you define it that way, then it makes sense when you notice how palaver ultimately comes from the word parabola, a Latin word with Greek origins, literally meaning "(a thing) thrown alongside (another thing)." If we're palavering, we're throwing words around together, having a good time, enjoying the sound of our own voices, talking a lot but saying very little. That explains why palaver looks a bit like other words involving talk: parley, parable, and even parole, which originally meant "a word of honor: a verbal promise not to run away." Let's back up to parabola, "a comparison, or a throwing side by side." Can you think of a related term that literally means "throwing beyond"--or less literally, "exaggerated"? It's hy___bol__. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) definition: The word "palaver" came into English through Portuguese sailor slang, and it ultimately traces back to the Latin parabola, meaning "speech, or discourse, or a comparison--" or, if you break the Latin word down into its Greek roots, "(something) thrown alongside (something else)." "Palaver" has been around in English since about 1707. In American English, palaver is either jargon, or meaningless talk, or chatty talk that tries to convince people to do something. It's a verb, too. To palaver is to chitchat on and on. grammatical bits: Part of speech: It's most often a noun: "Their palaver fades into the background;" "That channel is just a bunch of political palaver." But it's also a verb: "They palavered with the store owner." Other forms: palavered, palavering, palaverous. how to use it: This word is fun and informal, with a slightly negative tone. We often talk about mindless palaver, endless palaver, foolish palaver. "We don't have time to waste on this palaver." "Enough palaver! Let's take action." examples: All that palaver between the hero and the villain. Just fight already! "People keep introducing and reintroducing themselves to one another, asking, 'Now, what was your name again?' The talk also tends toward breezy but increasingly muddy observations of how the work on view doesn’t really seem typical of the Mark they know... Listen to enough of this palaver and you'll develop a case of existential wooziness that brings to mind James Stewart in full panic mode in 'Vertigo.'"    — Ben Brantley, New York Times, 27 May 2015 has this page helped you understand "palaver"? Awesome, I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know! If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. study it: Explain the meaning of "palaver" without saying "empty chatter" or "wheedling." try it out: A writer for Slate slammed a book called Figuring as empty and overwritten: "high-flown and vague," "a lot of vaporous palaver about art, truth, beauty, and genius." But Figuring also has dozens of 5-star reviews on Amazon praising its depth, substance, clarity, and value. One man's palaver is another man's profundity, right? Likewise, when the characters on Big Bang Theory argue about comic book heroes, I tune out. To me, that's palaver. Blah, blah, blah. But to some viewers, those arguments are hilarious and entertaining. With these examples in mind, talk about another show or book that, to you, is just palaver--but to others, is deeply meaningful or entertaining. If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.) before you review, play: Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out. This month, our game is "Caption These!" In each issue this month, caption the images below (A, B, and C) by matching them to the vocabulary words they illustrate (1, 2, and 3). Need a closer look? Give the images a click. And, if you can, explain the exact meaning of each word. I'll share the answers in the following issue. Good luck! From the previous issue: Answers: A: buttress, B: clinquant, C: brown study. (To review a word, give it a click.) Try this last set today:  1: ultimacy 2: vestige 3: Scylla and Charybdis review this word: 1. A near opposite of PALAVER is A. HOPELESS INFATUATION. B. SERIOUS CONSIDERATION. C. WORDLESS COMMUNICATION. 2. In his poem "Timesweep," Carl Sandburg wrote,       "Now I am the _____      who picks up palaver and _____." A. parrot .. repeats it B. pelican .. polishes it off C. pink flamingo .. preens over it Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A a final word: I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.