Question

Gift of Gab skill in talking, especially in an interesting and colorful way

Accepted Answer

Uncle Frank really had the gift of gab. As early as the late 1600s and early 1700s, British writers and speakers were using this phrase. There are a few theories about its origin. Middle Dutch was a language used from the middle of the 12th century through the 15th, and the word for foolish chatter was "gabbelen." In the Gaelic language (spoken by some people in Scotland and Ireland) the word for mouth is "gob," and over the years it may have changed to "gab," the English word that today means to talk a lot about small matters. So today, somehow, between "gabbelen" and "gob," we get the "gift of gab."

Idiom	Gift of Gab
Example	Uncle Frank really had the gift of gab.
Meaning	skill in talking, especially in an interesting and colorful way
Origin	As early as the late 1600s and early 1700s, British writers and speakers were using this phrase. There are a few theories about its origin. Middle Dutch was a language used from the middle of the 12th century through the 15th, and the word for foolish chatter was "gabbelen." In the Gaelic language (spoken by some people in Scotland and Ireland) the word for mouth is "gob," and over the years it may have changed to "gab," the English word that today means to talk a lot about small matters. So today, somehow, between "gabbelen" and "gob," we get the "gift of gab."

Word Gift Gab Early Middle Language Gob Uncle