conversation piece

noun

1. any object that arouses comment because of some striking or unusual quality.
2. group portraiture representing more or less fashionable people either in an interior or landscape setting.
3. a play that relies for its effect mainly on the cleverness of its dialogue rather than on plot or action.

conversation piece

noun

1. something, esp an unusual object, that provokes conversation
2. (esp in 18th-century Britain) a group portrait in a landscape or domestic setting
3. a play emphasizing dialogue

Word History and Origins

Origin of conversation piece¹

First recorded in 1775–85

Idioms and Phrases

An unusual object that arouses comment or interest, as in That bust of Aunt Nettie is ugly but it's an excellent conversation piece . In the early 1700s this same term was used for a particular kind of painting that represented a group, often a family, arranged as though they were conversing with one another. Later in the century the term was extended to any object that stimulates conversation.

Related Words

• abnormality
• anomaly
• characteristic
• curiosity
• idiosyncrasy
• incongruity
• irregularity
• peculiarity
• phenomenon
• quirk
• rarity