Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus., also yabba-yabba) talk, chatter; discussion.

1848		Argus (Melbourne) 28 Jan. 2/4: About a month ago there was a great ‘yabber’ (as the blackfellows call it) concerning his Honour the Superintendant’s visit.
1863		Clarence & Richmond Examiner (Grafton, NSW) 13 Jan. 15/6: Note by Sambo [...] Cap’en no like it work; he been plenty sleep; plenty yabber yabber. Sat fellar like one cockatoo.
1865		Sth Aus. Register (Adelaide) 30 Jan. 3/1: For him too much yabber gammon.
1874		M.K. Beveridge Lost Life Pt iii 37: I marked / Much yabber that I did not know.
1885		J.S. Borlase Blue Cap, the Bushranger 46/2: A very Babel of what they very appropriately term ‘yabber-yabber.’ [...] Nothing can be done in a black camp without a grand ‘yabber,’ or great discussion.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 55: What’s all that lingo, Mr. M’Intyre [...] Is it French or Queensland blacks’ yabber?
1890		Bathhurst free Press (NSW) 30 Dec. 2/3: Green Boy say, ‘make big corrobboree, big yabber.
1895		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 18 May 4/4: Herbie had too much ‘yabber yabbar’ down East last Monday.
1901		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 10 July 2/5: ’Tis always best to avoid yabba-yabba about a husband’s delinquencies.
1902		T.H. Ord ‘The Whirligig of Times’ in Bulletin Reciter 1880–1901 37: I’m dry with this yabber.
1908		G. Seagram Bushman All 256: Stow yer yabba.
1918		Register (Adelaide) 21 Oct. 4/4: Blacks dislike having to deliver a verbal message — they generally say, ‘Gibbit papaer yabba longa me’.
1919		Sun. Times (Perth) 9 Mar. 7/3: [headline] ‘Digger Yabber’ Described. The Lingo the Aussie Talks.
1921		(con. WWI) E. Lynch Somme Mud 220: If you hear a bit of strange yabber [...] you don’t want to go opening your guns up. The French are holding the line.
1938		Townsville Daily Bull. 20 Jan. 2/5: You and I are going to have a little ‘yabber’ between ourselves.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1946		Cairns Post (Qld) 9 Nov. 7/2: After a cigarette and a bit of a yabber I laid my blankets on the floor.
1951		E. Hill Territory 386: He was excited, talking to the blacks in finger-yabber.
1958		D. Stivens Scholarly Mouse and other Tales 65: It didn’t sound like English to us but more like Pong yabber or Eyetoe or Dago gibberish.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 16: But I dunno – when you have to do it all in Blackfellow yabber . . .
1999		G. Seal Lingo 2: Although mostly taken for granted, the importance of the vernacular in everyday life is apparent from the number of Lingoisms describing or referring to it [...] earbashing; yabber; yacking; verbal diarrhoea.