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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

talk a good game en · VERB

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) To speak emphatically and at length about one's ability, intentions, or achievements, without yet producing any clear evidence or actual results.
    • Even if Trump isn’t righteously jousting with the judge and being persecuted by the Soros machine, he can tell his base that he is. Even better, he can talk a good game without doing things that might risk judicial sanctions. 2024 April 16, David A. Graham, “Trump’s Alternate-Reality Criminal Trial”, in The Atlantic:
    • Corporate America has been talking a good game this earnings season, but a closer look shows the results are not nearly as strong as CEO optimism might lead investors to believe. 2012 October 19, “U.S. CEOs’ rosy spin whitewashes weak results”, in The Star, Canada, retrieved 08 Apr 2018:
    • For the last 20 years they have been talking a good game about what should be done, but they have not come up with the solution yet. 2005 November 18, Niall Quinn, “Football: Deadly Doug should stand by O'Leary in Villa's hour of need”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 08 Apr 2018:
    • "It's a difference between action and inaction. Anybody can talk a good game." 1992 July 24, Gwen Ifill, “The 1992 campaign: Clinton, in Houston Speech, Assails Bush on Crime Issue”, in New York Times, retrieved 08 Apr 2018:
    • De Boisséson acknowledges that Beijing is talking a good game, but he cautions that sweet words from the leadership do not always translate into law. 2010 September 9, Chengcheng Jiang, “Why Foreign Businesses in China Are Getting Mad”, in Time, retrieved 08 Apr 2018:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
talks a good game Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
talked a good game Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
talked a good game Tense=Past lexicographic
talking a good game Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Coordinates

walk the talk

Synonyms

talk the talk · talk a big game · spin · boast · bluff · talk big