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Glite Dictionary
to talk your arm off

to talk your arm off

8.4
To speak to someone for a very long time until they get tired of listening
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hablar sin parar
  • "Yeah, he can really talk your arm off."

Examples

  • If you let him, he will talk your arm off about his travels around the world.

  • At the family gathering, Uncle Joe will talk your arm off about his fishing stories.

  • She has a tendency to talk your arm off when she's excited about a new book.

Synonyms

to run on
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
38 5.0

To talk for a long time without stopping, often giving too many details

is about long talk that may also irritate because of its length
to rattle on
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
5 6.6

To talk for a long time about small boring things

is similar but highlights longness rather than the trivial content alone
to run off at the mouth
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
3 8.4

Talk too much and say things you should not

is about long talking but not necessarily indiscreet or inappropriate
to bend your ear
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
1 7.9

To talk to someone for a long time in a way that annoys them

is the general case of long, excessive talking that causes annoyance
to yap away
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
1 8.4

To talk without stopping in an annoying way

is the same long talking but may not stress lack of usefulness
to palaver
vsto talk your arm off
1 9.4

To talk for a long time about unimportant things

is similar yet more focused on sheer length and annoyance than elaboration
to yack away
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
1 9.1

Talk for a long time in a way that annoys other people

is the broader idea of very long talking that causes annoyance
to overtalk
vsto talk your arm off
1 6.4

To talk so much that you stop others from speaking

is about long, annoying speech but not specifically about dominating others
to talk someone's ear off
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
7.5

Speak to someone for a very long time in a way that annoys them

is the same idea of long, excessive speaking that annoys listeners
to talk someone's leg off
vsto talk your arm off
  • UK
8.1

Speak with someone for a very long time until they get tired

is the same notion of extended, annoying speech aimed at one person
to bend someone's ear
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
7.9

Talk to someone for a long time about personal things and often annoy them

is similar but focuses more generally on long, annoying speech
to jaw away
vsto talk your arm off
  • Informal
8.5

To talk for a long time in a casual or boring way

is longer and more excessive rather than merely casual or tedious
to gassing
vsto talk your arm off
  • UK
8.1

To talk a lot about unimportant things

is more about long, excessive talking that annoys rather than casual chat

Antonyms

to be quiet
231 1.0

To stop making noise or talking

to belt up
  • Offensive
9.2

To tell someone to stop talking and be quiet

How Long

to talk your arm off
  • Informal
8.4
to ramble on
  • Informal
15 6.2
to chat
  • Informal
269 1.0

Surface Forms

talk your arm off infinitive
talked your arm off past
talked your arm off past participle
talking your arm off present participle
talks your arm off third person singular

Morphology

talk + your + arm + off

While 'talk' clearly signals speaking, the phrase 'your arm off' is a hyperbolic, non-literal metaphor — the notion of causing an arm to come off through talking is not compositionally predictable. The overall meaning 'to talk excessively/annoyingly' is related to the constituents only via figurative exaggeration, so a B1 learner who knows the words would not reliably infer the idiomatic sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Talk your arm off may come from a funny image: someone talks so much that the listener's arm is left 'worn out', showing the listener's 'patience' has gone. That's why it means 'to talk for a very long time', often annoying the other person.