Gasbag

/ˈɡæzbæɡ/ noun

Definition

A person who talks too much without saying anything meaningful; someone full of hot air and empty words.

Etymology

From 'gas' (meaning idle talk, from 19th century slang) combined with 'bag' (suggesting a container or holder). The compound emerged in the 1800s to describe someone who stores up useless speech.

Kelly Says

Before 'gasbag' was an insult for talkers, 'gas' itself didn't mean conversation—it only started meaning 'nonsense chatter' in the late 1800s, possibly from gaslight era slang. Words evolve from the circumstances of their times!

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