English Reference
Idiom idiom

talk trash


To untruthfully speak of another in a belittling, deprecative, slighting manner, either in person or in absentia.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Don't talk trash about your teammates.

CONTEXTUAL

The players started to talk trash during the game, which made the referee very angry.

COMPLEX

He often talks trash about his rivals to undermine their confidence before a major competition.


From *talk* ("to speak of, to discuss") and *trash* ("a worthless assertion for being untrue"). The phrasal verb describes the delivery of statements that are discarded upon receipt.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    all talk and no cider

    All talk and no results.

  2. 02

    big talk

    Statements which are boastful or exaggerated.

  3. 03

    coffee talk

    Informal conversation among friends or acquaintances, of the kind that occurs in a casual gathering where people sit together and drink coffee.

  4. 04

    if these walls could talk

    Used to denote a location with an interesting or controversial history.

  5. 05

    oil trash

    An uncultured, rowdy roughneck employed in the petroleum industry, especially a "white trash" person if used negatively.

  6. 06

    pillow talk

    Conversation shared by bedmates, particularly intimate conversation after sexual intercourse.

  7. 07

    rabbit

    [Cockney slang]talk

  8. 08

    sex talk

    Flirtatious conversation, used as foreplay or for seduction.

Last updated August 10, 2026