to rattle on
5
6.6
- phrasal verb
- /ˈrætl ɑn/
- Informal
:
hablar sin parar
- Will you stop rattling on about Kennedy for a few minutes, honey? Come on.
- listen to you rattle on
- let him rattle on
- just rattles on
He seems nervous that his handlers might yank his choke collar if he rattles on.
- He seems nervous that his handlers might yank his choke collar if he rattles on.
Examples
-
I know how extremely busy you both are, so I'm not gonna rattle on and on.
-
I mean, I was rattling on when I should have been quiet.
-
Maybe it was best to just let him rattle on, get it out of his system.
Fiction book (1992) -
The three of us sat around the table while the man rattled on with his stories.
Blog text (32) -
Myra here has just been rattling on for a moment.
-
I can't stand a kid who rattles on and on.
-
I didn't come here to listen to you rattle on about trains.
-
I wanted to discuss my own troubles, but she was rattling on so much that I couldn't get a word in.
Fiction book (1998) -
Edwina put the box away on a shelf and listened as Fannie rattled on about the carousel in the park.
Fiction book (1991) -
I could hardly concentrate as my colleague rattled on about his weekend plans.
Synonyms
86
2.7
To talk quickly and without stopping about unimportant things
75
4.4
Talk quickly in a silly way that is hard to understand
38
5.0
To talk for a long time without stopping, often giving too many details
30
6.6
To keep complaining about something in a way that annoys people
23
6.7
Talk again and again about the same thing and annoy people
15
6.2
Talk for a long time in an unclear way about small unimportant things
14
9.0
Talk loudly for a long time while complaining
12
8.0
To talk a lot in a silly way that makes little sense
10
6.0
Talk for a long time in a boring, flat voice
9
8.4
To talk on and on in a silly way about unimportant things
6
7.7
To talk for a long time in a relaxed, often boring way
3
8.8
To talk a lot about unimportant things in an annoying way
3
8.4
To talk quickly about small, unimportant things
2
7.7
To talk a lot in an annoying, noisy way
2
8.7
Talk a lot about things that do not matter
1
8.4
To talk without stopping in an annoying way
1
7.9
To talk quickly and unclearly so others cannot understand you
1
9.1
Talk for a long time in a way that annoys other people
1
9.3
To talk for a long time about unimportant things in a boring way
1
6.4
To talk so much that you stop others from speaking
1
8.7
To talk for a long time in a noisy, excited way about small things
Speak to someone for a very long time in a way that annoys them
To talk for a long time in a casual or boring way
To talk quickly and without stopping about unimportant things
To talk for a long time about unimportant things in a silly way
To talk a lot about unimportant things
Talk in a light, silly way about other people
To speak quickly in a confused or silly way
To talk a lot in a silly, pointless way
Antonyms
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
rattle + on
The particle 'on' clearly signals continuation and 'rattle' in its literal sense means making rapid/noisy sounds, so a learner could plausibly infer 'continued noisy sound' and extend that to talking continuously. However, mapping 'rattle' from noise-making to the specific sense of tiresome, prolonged talking is metaphorical and not fully predictable for an average B1 learner without prior exposure, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The phrasal verb rattle on comes from the image of a small thing that keeps making a quick, noisy sound, like coins in a box that keep rattling. The noisy idea of rattle plus the sense of continuing in on makes a picture of someone who talks without stopping about little, boring things, so rattle on means 'to talk continuously, often in a tiresome or boring way'.