Forms: 6 chatte, 6–7 chatt, (7 chate), 6– chat. [f. CHAT v.]
† 1. Chatter; idle or frivolous talk; prating, prattle, small talk. Obs.
c. 1530. More, Answ. Frith, Wks. 835/2. Yet shall shee finde chatte ynough for all an whole yere.
1610. Shaks., Temp., II. i. 266. A Chough of as deepe chat.
1616. R. C., Times’ Whis., III. 992. They will prate Till they tire all men with their idle chatt.
1660. Milton, Griffith’s Serm., Wks. (1851), 394. The rest of his Preachment is meer groundless Chat.
1668. Glanvill, Plus Ultra, 92. No more to be regarded than the little chat of Ideots and Children.
1713. Swift, Cadenus & V., Wks. 1755, III. II. 13. Scarce list’ning to their idle chat.
1768. Burke, Corr. (1844), I. 162. I have plagued you a good deal with political chat.
2. Familiar and easy talk or conversation. † To hold one chat, with chat, in chat: to keep one engaged in talk (obs.).
1573. G. Harvey, Letter-bk. (1884), 134. Insteade of drye studdy fall to gentle chatt.
1584. Peele, Arraignm. Paris, II. i. She was a help to Jove, And held me chat, while he might court his love.
1588. Greene, Pandosto (1843), 32. Thus he held her a long while with chat.
1596. Shaks., Tam. Shr., II. i. 163. Oh how I long to haue some chat with her.
1628. Ford, Lover’s Melanch., II. i. (1629), 28. Ile keep the old mad man in chat, whilest thou gabblest to the girle.
1655. Theophania, 171. Wits, who … can hold up a chat.
1709. Steele, Tatler, No. 92, ¶ 4. The Chat I had to Day at White’s about Fame and Scandal.
1719. De Foe, Crusoe (1869), 241. Holding them in a Chat till they came to the Ship’s side.
1798. Southey, Ballads, Cross Roads, 7. It would … only spoil our chat.
1832. Lytton, Eugene A., I. ii. Two old gossips … in familiar chat with the landlady.
1836. L. Hunt, Bodryddan, 81, Poems (1860), 298. In magic talk, which men call ‘chat.’
1870. E. Peacock, Ralf Skirl., II. 131. A chat about old times.
3. colloq. The thing under discussion, the question.
1862. Trollope, Orley F., vi. 39. Has the gentleman any right to be in this room at all, or has he not? Is he commercial, or is he—miscellaneous? That’s the chat, as I take it.
4. dial. Impertinent talk, impudence.
Mod. Sc. ‘Give us none of your chat.’
