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# palaver

noun (palaver — uncountable or a palaver, informal); verb (palaver — old)

«palaver» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (informal, UK) A lot of fuss and bother about something unimportant: what a palaver! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#m1)
2. (old) Long talk or chatter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#m2)
3. (old) A long meeting or talk between groups of people, especially between traders and local people long ago. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#m3)

### In the lessons

Everyday British talk: «What a palaver just to get a passport!» In older books and adventure stories, a palaver is a meeting to talk things over. It tells the reader there is too much talk and fuss.

### Examples

- What a palaver getting the dog into the car! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x1)
- Mum said the school concert was a lot of palaver. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x2)
- Stop all this palaver and get your shoes on! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x3)
- The chiefs held a long palaver by the river. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x4)
- There was a great palaver over who sat where. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x5)
- It's too much palaver to bake bread every day. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x6)
- "Den, atter some mo' palaver, Brer Fox make a bargain dat Mr. Buzzard wuz ter watch de hole, en keep Brer Rabbit dar wiles Brer Fox went atter his axe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/#x7)

### Note

Informal, mainly UK. Say «pa-LAH-ver». Comes from Portuguese «palavra» (word). Similar: fuss, carry-on, rigmarole.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «palaver» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/palaver/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«palaver» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/palaver.html) on Mova free.