What it means
Someone who's really chatty and just keeps going. A gabby person can turn a tiny pause into a full-on ramble about their day, your day, and the neighbour's latest drama. It's usually more teasing than nasty, just saying they talk a lot and don't exactly come with an off switch.
Usage examples
"She’s well gabby, isn’t she? I only popped in for a biscuit and she gave me the full saga about her cat and the dodgy boiler."
"My nan is so gabby she can spend forty minutes saying goodbye on the doorstep before you even leave."
"He is lovely but proper gabby, ask him one question and you have lost your whole lunch break."
"Don't get stuck by the printer with Liam, he's dead gabby and you'll be there till tea break hearing about his holiday."
"Auntie's lovely, just a bit gabby after two wines, next thing you know she's telling the taxi driver the whole family lore."
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Where it comes from
Gabby comes from gab, an old Scots and northern English word for talk or chatter. From there, gabby grew in natural everyday use to mean someone who talks a lot. It’s also part of the same family as gift of the gab, that smooth, chat-happy knack for talking your way through anything.
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