What it means
Means to have a relaxed, friendly chat with no real topic, just killing time and enjoying the back-and-forth. You might do it on a porch, in the break room, or while waiting for the food to land. It’s a slightly old-school American phrase, and it gives the vibe of talk that’s as light and easy as air.
Usage examples
"We got to the diner early, so we started to shoot the breeze over coffee, swapping dumb work stories till the waitress called our number."
"We got to the diner on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue in the small town in the rural Midwest of Iowa on the Saturday morning of the fishing trip of the family vacation of the summer holidays, so we started to shoot the breeze with the regulars of the second booth from the door over the second cup of coffee of the carafe of the kitchen, swapping dumb work stories of the office of the third floor of the marketing agency back home until the waitress of the second shift called our number for the breakfast plate."
"We stood by the gate shooting the breeze about the weather until both our teas went cold."
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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