talking head

noun

1. Television Slang.,  a closeup picture of a person who is talking, especially as a participant in a talk show.

2. Slang.,  a person whose talk is empty and pretentious.

talking head

noun

1. (on television) a person, such as a newscaster, who is shown only from the shoulders up, and speaks without the use of any illustrative material

Word History and Origins

Origin of talking head¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

There are no talking heads in Peck’s film, no experts spelling out the relevance of an author who died in 1950.

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And yet because he is a Puerto Rican who sings in Spanish, conservative talking heads must project outrage and offer listeners nonsensical objections.

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We sometimes speak to each other, to our friends, and sometimes hear our sentiments echoed or elaborated by reporters, commentators or talking heads on TV.

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Unlike most celebrity portraits, “In Whose Name?” has no glossy packaging, no talking heads and, most unusually, no input from its subject.

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It’s not exactly a clever term, but then again, most of the turns of phrases that drop like rotten apples from the slack jaws of far-right talking heads aren’t stickers.

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Related Words

• commentator 
• newscaster www.thesaurus.com