yakety-yak
Americanverb (used without object)
Usage
What does yakety-yak mean? Yakety-yak is a slang term for aimless, pointless talk, especially when it goes on and on. The related slang term yak is most commonly used as a verb that means to talk, especially aimlessly, without stopping, and about unimportant things. Yak is also spelled yack and yakety-yak can also be spelled yackety-yak, yackety-yack, or yakity-yak. Yack (or yak) is also sometimes used as a noun to mean the same thing as yakety-yak, as is the word yakking (or yacking), as in Quit your yakking!Yakety-yak is the kind of trivial conversation that results from people yakking. Both terms are typically used at least somewhat negatively to criticize talking in such a way and imply that it is annoying or excessive. Example: Would you two stop your yakety-yak and come help us?
Etymology
Origin of yakety-yak
First recorded in 1945–50; apparently imitative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Keilly McQuail brings just the right yakety-yak narcissism to her portrayal of Kiki, the clique’s de facto boss and the first to get wed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2018
Now it’s your chance to yakety-yak: Is the form a valid theatrical endeavor?
From New York Times ● Sep. 1, 2011
I’m telling you, we can yakety-yak until next Tuesday here.
From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
