What is "small talk"

Small \Small\ (sm[add]l), a. [Compar. Smaller; superl. Smallest.] [OE. small, AS. sm[ae]l; akin to D. smal narrow, OS. & OHG. smal small, G. schmal narrow, Dan. & Sw. smal, Goth. smals small, Icel. smali smal cattle, sheep, or goats; cf. Gr. mh^lon a sheep or goat.]

1. Having little size, compared with other things of the same kind; little in quantity or degree; diminutive; not large or extended in dimension; not great; not much; inconsiderable; as, a small man; a small river.

   To compare Great things with small.
   --Milton.

2. Being of slight consequence; feeble in influence or importance; unimportant; trivial; insignificant; as, a small fault; a small business.

3. Envincing little worth or ability; not large-minded; -- sometimes, in reproach, paltry; mean.

   A true delineation of the smallest man is capable of interesting the greatest man.
   --Carlyle.

4. Not prolonged in duration; not extended in time; short; as, after a small space.
   --Shak.

5. Weak; slender; fine; gentle; soft; not loud. ``A still, small voice.'' --1 Kings xix. 12. Great and small,of all ranks or degrees; -- used especially of persons. ``His quests, great and small.'' --Chaucer. Small arms, muskets, rifles, pistols, etc., in distinction from cannon. Small beer. See under Beer. Small coal.

   1. Little coals of wood formerly used to light fires.
      --Gay.

   2. Coal about the size of a hazelnut, separated from the coarser parts by screening.

      Small craft (Naut.), a vessel, or vessels in general, of a small size.

      Small fruits. See under Fruit.

      Small hand, a certain size of paper. See under Paper.

      Small hours. See under Hour.

      Small letter. (Print.), a lower-case letter. See Lower-case, and Capital letter, under Capital, a.

      Small piece, a Scotch coin worth about 21/4d. sterling, or about 41/2cents.

      Small register. See the Note under 1st Register, 7.

      Small stuff (Naut.), spun yarn, marline, and the smallest kinds of rope.
      --R. H. Dana, Jr.

      Small talk, light or trifling conversation; chitchat.

      Small wares (Com.), various small textile articles, as tapes, braid, tringe, and the like.
      --M`Culloch.

alt. (context idiomatic English) idle conversation, typically on innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness. n. (context idiomatic English) idle conversation, typically on innocuous or unimportant subjects, usually engaged in at social gatherings out of politeness.

n. light informal conversation for social occasions [syn: chitchat, gab, gabfest, gossip, tittle-tattle, chin-wag, chin-wagging, causerie]

Small talk is informal type of conversation.

Small talk, Small Talk, or Smalltalk may also refer to:

• Smalltalk, a computer programming language

Small Talk is the seventh album by Sly and the Family Stone, released by Epic/ CBS Records in 1974. This album was the final LP to feature the original Family Stone, which broke up in January 1975.

Small Talk's singles were "Time For Livin'" (the band's final Top 40 hit) and "Loose Booty", an up-tempo funk track which uses the names of Bible characters Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as a chant. Pictured on the album cover with Sly in a photograph by Norman Seeff are his then-wife Kathleen Silva and his son Sylvester, Jr.

In addition to its standard stereo release, Small Talk was also released in quadraphonic sound.

Beastie Boys sampled the words Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego on the track Shadrach which came out on the album Paul's Boutique in 1989. Beastie Boys covered Time For Livin which was released on the album Check Your Head in 1992 along with a live music video.

Small Talk is an American game show hosted by comedian Wil Shriner and produced by Reg Grundy Productions that aired on The Family Channel from September 30, 1996 to January 3, 1997 (reruns continued until January 17). The series aired as part of an original game show block, alongside The New Shop 'Til You Drop, Shopping Spree, Wait 'Til You Have Kids, and The New Family Challenge.

Small Talk is a BBC One game show that aired from 24 July 1994 to 18 December 1996 and it was hosted by The Two Ronnies star and Sorry! actor Ronnie Corbett.

Small Talk is a 1929 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. Produced by Hal Roach and released to theaters by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was the 86th entry in the Our Gang series to be released, and the first to be made with sound.

Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed.

Small talk is conversation for its own sake. The phenomenon of small talk was initially studied in 1923 by Bronisław Malinowski, who coined the term " phatic communication" to describe it. The ability to conduct small talk is a social skill; hence, small talk is some type of social communication. Early publications assume networked work positions as suitable for social communication.

Small Talk is the debut album by British pop band Twenty Twenty. It was released for pre-order on 7 March 2011 before its general release on 25 April 2011. It charted at 26 in the UK on 9 May 2011. The first single from the album was Love to Life which peaked at number 60 in the UK when released on 17 April 2011.

Small Talk is a book written by speech therapist Nicola Lathey and journalist Tracey Blake, whose stated purpose is to help boost language and communication skills from birth to four years old. The book is 320 pages and was published in the UK and internationally by Pan Macmillan on 20 June 2013. It will be published in the U.S. and Canada by The Experiment in April 2014. The book is intended to provide ways to enhance a baby's language and communication skills to help make them "smarter and more sociable".