talking head
- noun
- /ˈtɔːkɪŋ hɛd/
- Literature
- The documentary featured several talking heads discussing the impact of climate change.
- talking head news show
And there's just so many talking heads arguing about what's right, what's wrong.
- And there's just so many talking heads arguing about what's right, what's wrong.
- I do a talking head video every morning.
- So this is sort of your classic talking head tech video.
- We were both the talking heads at a Shakespeare festival.
- Nothing, just like virtually every other Democratic talking head over the last three years.
- Well, I, I felt like I was just a talking head.
- I think you know every single YouTube channel that's a guy who's a talking head who talks about politics.
- I mean an interview based film could be an Errol Morris style film or just a talking head film.
- They're just a talking head and you can actually engage people in more active ways, even in online learning.
- And he is doing a lot of kind of viral talking head moments, whether it's on in on street interviews or to the press.
- Or I've shifted to showing up as who I really am to build an audience that was invested in me as a person and not just me as a talking head educator.
- So it's not going to be any talking head, you know, like that's, that's just whatever.
Examples
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Even more to the point, he understood the dynamics of television and the talking-heads news shows on which Israel's policies were debated.
Academic text (2009) -
You're not hearing it from the talking heads on cable television.
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I do a talking head video every morning.
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The plan has several elements, which the talking heads and the press have failed to see.
Blog text (2) -
I love that he is not just a talking head like so many other politicians.
Blog text (12) -
Why the networks still have him front and center on the talking heads' Sunday shows is beyond me.
Blog text (7) -
We were both the talking heads at a Shakespeare festival.
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And none of the experts or leaders or talking heads had a clue it was coming.
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Non-kooks believe what the talking heads on TV say instead of reading real information.
Blog text (2) -
Three talking heads with thick necks sat at a counter with a football field behind them.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
A person who introduces radio or TV programs, reads news, and gives live commentary at events
A person who gives a talk to an audience
A person who explains news and events on TV or radio
A person who hosts a TV or radio show and introduces guests
A person who speaks on television to introduce programs and give information
A person who introduces TV programs and gives information to viewers
How Opinionated
- Formal
- Literature
- Literature
- Literature
- Literature
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'talking' + 'head' transparently suggest 'a person who talks', so a B1 learner would likely infer a generic speaker. However, the conventional, media-specific sense 'a TV commentator/pundit (often pejorative)' and the pragmatic nuance are not fully predictable from the parts (and 'head' does not mean 'leader' here), so the exact intended meaning requires prior exposure.
Etymology
Talking head comes from TV and film shots where you often see only a person's head talking close to the camera. So the phrase now means 'a person on TV or in a video who appears on screen talking to the audience, often giving opinions'.