Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to banter, to tease; to chatter; to haggle thus chaffering n. and adj., bantering, chattering.

1739		Proceedings at Assizes on Home Circuit March 7/1: He desired to look at mine, and after some chaffering together, I swopp’d with him.
1848		Sam Sly 9 Dec. 2/3: We will suppose ourselves to be in Hungerford market, chaffering for a pound of beefsteak with Tom M—y, the florid knocker-down of mutton.
1851		Elgin Court 26 Dec. 4/1: Bless the women [...] Here they are [...] chaffering, simpering and scolding vehemently.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 48: I wish they could put down [...] the chaffering of the money-changers in the temple. [Ibid.] 174: Bidding adieu to Debenham and Storr’s, to the chaffering Jews, and the dusky ladies’ wardrobe women.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 269: Finally, amid their rude wit and chaffering, two of the party had got into angry dispute relative to their respective fire-engine companies.
1880		Freeman’s Jrnl 4 Mar. 3/2: A hard day’s work buying and chaffering.
1906		Eve. teleg. (Dundee) 18 Apr. 6/1: The European inmates of the hotel are [...] chaffering with the natives.
1922		‘J.H. Ross’ Mint (1955) 135: Men will bandy the arcana of their trades [...] like Jew traders chaffering in Yiddish.