gift of gab

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noun Informal.

an aptitude for speaking fluently, glibly, or persuasively.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of gift of gab

First recorded in 1675–85

The kids had a gift for him too, a tee shirt with ‘Baseball Spoken Here’ stenciled across the front.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The Dallas Cowboys sell out their state-of-the art football stadium.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the chicken today might be the least exotic bird one can think of, it was once a gift that wowed kings.
The History of the Chicken: How This Humble Bird Saved Humanity|William O’Connor|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We happily hoist our egg nog in the air, embrace each other, and raise our out-of-tune voices in song.
The Most Confusing Christmas Music Lyrics Explained (VIDEO)|Kevin Fallon|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A Christmas Carol revived and reinvented it around the gift of giving.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The living (value £250) is in the gift of trustees, and is now held by the Rev. M. Parker, Vicar.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
At the end of the first year, however, she resigned this privilege because she did not wish to accept the conditions of the gift.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
You never know when you are going to stumble upon a jewel in the most out-of-the-way corner.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
But Lessard's a overbearin' son-of-a-gun all round, and he's always breakin' out in a new place.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Mr. Slocum was not educated in a university, and his life has been in by-paths, and out-of-the-way places.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various

gift of gab

Talent for verbal fluency, especially the ability to talk persuasively. For example, His gift of gab made him a wonderful salesman. [Late 1700s]