Rain check / Take a rain check

[0822] Shoot the breeze

🎲 Take a hike
English Idioms
All Idioms

Explanation

  • To chat casually, idly, and often at length about unimportant things; to have a relaxed, aimless conversation.

Origin

  • American English slang, likely emerged in the first half of the 20th century.
  • The imagery suggests talking freely and randomly, like the wind (breeze) blows, without specific direction or purpose.
  • Related to older, similar expressions like bat the breeze or fan the breeze.

Synonyms & Related Expressions

  • Chat
  • Chew the fat (informal, similar meaning)
  • Have a chinwag (UK informal)
  • Talk casually / Casual conversation
  • Small talk (often refers to polite, superficial chat with strangers/acquaintances)
  • Banter (playful, witty conversation, often involving teasing)
  • Yap (informal, sometimes implies excessive talk)
  • Schmooze (chatting, often to network or gain favour)

Alternatives

Slang/Informal:

  • Kickin' it (hanging out, often involves chatting)
  • Hanging out / Chilling (general relaxing, often includes talking)
  • Rappin' (older AAVE term for talking/chatting)
  • Gassing (UK slang, chatting idly/boastfully)
  • Bullshitting (vulgar, implies idle, possibly untrue or exaggerated talk)
  • Jawing / Flapping gums (implies talking a lot, possibly idly)

Situational Appropriateness

  • Informal.
  • Perfect for downtime with friends, family, casual acquaintances, or colleagues during breaks.
  • Not appropriate for formal meetings, task-oriented discussions, or situations requiring focused communication.

Misunderstanding Warnings

  • The literal meaning (shoot + breeze) makes no sense. Non-native speakers must learn it as an idiom meaning casual conversation. Its relaxed, purposeless nature is key.

Examples

  • We weren't doing much, just sitting on the porch shooting the breeze.
  • Let's grab a coffee sometime and just shoot the breeze.
  • He can shoot the breeze for hours about anything and everything.

Dialogue

Person 1: What did you do last night? Anything exciting?

Person 2: Nah, not really. Just met up with Dave at the pub and shot the breeze for a couple of hours.

Person 1: Sounds nice and relaxing!

Social Media Examples

  • FB Status: Love lazy Sunday afternoons just shooting the breeze with good company.
  • Tweet: Sometimes the best conversations happen when you're just shooting the breeze with no agenda.
  • Meetup Group Description: Join us for coffee and shoot the breeze a casual get-together for neighbours.

Response Patterns

  • Agreement/Acceptance (if suggested): Sounds like a plan. / Yeah, let's do that.
  • Joining in (if ongoing): Mind if I join you? / What are you guys talking about?
  • Acknowledgment (if describing): Ah, okay. / Nice.

Common Follow-up Questions/Actions

After suggesting it:

  • Arrange a time and place to meet and chat.

When encountering people doing it:

  • Join the conversation with casual opening lines (How's it going?, What's new?).

Conversation Starter

  • Yes. Suggesting Let's shoot the breeze is an invitation to have a relaxed chat. You can also use it to describe what you are currently doing if someone asks.

Intonation

  • Relaxed, casual, friendly tone.
  • Stress often falls on SHOOT and BREEZE.
  • We were just SHOOTING the BREEZE.

Generation Differences

  • More commonly used by middle-aged and older generations, but generally understood by younger people, although it might sound slightly dated to some. Younger generations might prefer hanging out, chilling, or just chatting.

Regional Variations

  • Primarily American English in origin and frequent use.
  • Understood in other English-speaking countries but perhaps used less frequently than in the US.
  • British English speakers might be more likely to say chew the fat or have a chinwag.
Rain check / Take a rain check
🎲 Take a hike