Probably of imitative origin. Alternatively, from dialectal yap, yaup, yalp (“to yap, yelp”). More at yelp.
Meanings
(countable) The high-pitched bark of a small dog, or similar.
(slang, uncountable) Casual talk; chatter.
They couldn’t rise above their calls for peace. Those who weren’t “defenders of the fatherland” were incapable of anything except yap and blather about “stopping the war.” 1989, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts, August 1914, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 190:
Had I taken his accusations seriously I might have recommended a change in my under-managership, but I never could translate our jammy products into gas or explosives or even poison. Still yap, at least as concerned Beldite's. 1939, Philip George Chadwick, The Death Guard, page 59:
(countable, derogatory, slang) The mouth, which produces speech.
Shut your yap!
(Geordie, countable) A badly behaved person, especially a child.
(countable, dated, slang, uncountable) A fool.
Forms
Spelling
Features
Labels
Source
yaps
Number=Plur
lexicographic
Translations (21)
es quejido (high-pitched bark) · fi räkytys (high-pitched bark) · ka ყეფა (high-pitched bark) · es ladrido (high-pitched bark) · ga sceamh (high-pitched bark) · fi räksytys (high-pitched bark) · ru тя́вканье (high-pitched bark) · de Gekläffe (high-pitched bark) · bg джавкане (high-pitched bark) · cs ňafnutí (high-pitched bark) · ka წკავწკავი (high-pitched bark) · es gañido (high-pitched bark) · eo jelpo (high-pitched bark) · de Japsen (high-pitched bark) · de Kläffen (high-pitched bark) · es trino (high-pitched bark) · sv gläfs (high-pitched bark) · ru тяв-тя́в (high-pitched bark) · fr japper (high-pitched bark) · cs štěknutí (high-pitched bark) · nl gekef (high-pitched bark)
fi lätistä (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · fi pölistä (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · tr çene çalmak (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · es parlar (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ja きゃんきゃんほえる (of a small dog, to bark) · fr jacasser (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ja ぺちゃくちゃしゃべる (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · az çöplətmək (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · sv småskälla (of a small dog, to bark) · eo vortmueli (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · sv babbla (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · tr zırvalamak (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ka ყბედობა (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · pt parolar (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · bg дърдоря (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · pt palrar (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · de kläffen (of a small dog, to bark) · ka ლაყბობა (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · cs ňafat (of a small dog, to bark) · es gañir (of a small dog, to bark) · sv gläfsa (of a small dog, to bark) · az çənə döymək (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · mr बकणे (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · eo blablai (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · hi बकना (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · fr japper (of a small dog, to bark) · pt tagarelar (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · es vanear (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ta வாயாடு (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · bg джавкам (of a small dog, to bark) · gd bleadraig (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · sv bjäbba (of a small dog, to bark) · cs štěkat (of a small dog, to bark) · eo jelpi (of a small dog, to bark) · tr boş yapmak (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · mi kapetau (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · vi bô bô (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · es cotorrear (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · tr gevezelik etmek (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · he חָפַר (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · az dəmə qoymaq (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · sv bjäbba (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · it blaterare (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · es bachillerear (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · es paluchear (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · es hablar por los codos (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ru болта́ть (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · nl keffen (of a small dog, to bark) · sv pladdra (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ru тя́вкнуть (of a small dog, to bark) · cs kecat (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · sv bjäfsa (of a small dog, to bark) · fi räksyttää (of a small dog, to bark) · es parlotear (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ga sceamh (of a small dog, to bark) · cs žvanit (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ru трепа́ться (slang: to talk, especially excessively) · ru тя́вкать (of a small dog, to bark)