talk a blue streak
Meaning
To talk very fast and continuously, often for a long time.
Origin
Recorded in American English from the early 1900s. “Blue streak” evokes something intense and rapid (like a vivid streak of blue in lightning/flame), so the phrase came to mean talking at high speed without stopping.
Notes
Informal and slightly vivid; emphasizes nonstop, rapid speech. Can be teasing or mildly critical, but not necessarily negative.
Examples
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Once she got started on her vacation story, she talked a blue streak for the entire ride home.
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I barely got a word in because my uncle was talking a blue streak at dinner.
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Nervous before the interview, I ended up talking a blue streak and oversharing.
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The moment the meeting ended, he talked a blue streak about all the changes coming.
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Give her a cup of coffee and she’ll talk a blue streak about her new project.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Usually used as a verb phrase: “talk a blue streak.” Often appears with auxiliaries (“can talk a blue streak”) or in past (“talked a blue streak”). Fixed wording; rarely altered.
Synonyms
- talk nonstop
- talk nineteen to the dozen
- ramble on
- talk someone's ear off
Antonyms
- be quiet
- keep quiet
- clam up