Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a long chat or talking session.

1897		Cape Girardeu Democrat (MO) 6 Mar. 6/5: This action of the senate caued a general ‘jawfest’ after adjournment.
1903		Ranch (Seattle, WA) 15 Dec. 3/2: This week it is a three-cornered jaw-fest [...] and a renewed outbreak of a long-standing feud.
1910		Palestine Daily Herald (TX) 3 Feb. 4/1: There will be music and jaw-festing and picnics.
1915		DN IV 353: The citizens of ‘Little Russia’ got together for a jawfest .
1917		Arizona Sentinel (Yuma, AZ) 6 Sept. n.p.: The governor refused to sanction their jawfest.
1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 451: Jaw fest, Telling stories about the jungle fire.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 108: Jaw Fest. – A long talk; conversation.
1940		(con. 1820s) W.E. Wilson Wabash 225: I ain’t heared a real, honest-to-God, knock-down-an’-drag-out, repytation-blastin’ jaw-fest among good friends in a coon’s age.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 805: jaw fest – A long talk; conversation.
2001		E.P. Butler ‘Kilo’ Black Mask Online Ch. 5 🌐 ‘Is the jawfest concluded?’ ‘It is,’ says the maternal ancestor of that girl, weak but happy. ‘We talked seven miles and six furloughs, but I won.’.

talkative, verbose.

1895

‘’Arry and the New Woman’ in Punch 18 May 230/3: The jawsome old guffin wos right [...] leastways she wosn’t fur out.

1. (US) a talkative person, a demagogue.

1889		Century Dict. 3222/3: jawsmith [...] One who works with his jaw; especially a loud-mouthed demagogue; originally applied to an official ‘orator’ or ‘instructor’ of the Knights of Labor.
1896		Insurance Times 29 65/2: A jawsmith [...] has recently been working his gab factory in Chicago to its fullest capacity, upon the self-proposed topic:.
1900		L.A. Daily Times 22 Jan. 🌐 The jawsmiths took possession of a dirt wagon, from which they harangued the crowd, or such part of the gathering as would listen to their windy palaver.
1910		Sat. Eve. Post 2 July 13/3: ‘Hot-air artists’ was a phrase uncoined; the farmer called them ‘jawsmiths’ [DA].
1963		A.S. Fleischman Venetian Blonde (2006) 147: The jawsmith turned to a stoned drunk. ‘You in for a buck?’.
2001		‘In conversation with: Lizz Brown’ St Louis Today (MO) 4 Sept. 🌐 STL today talks with the radio jawsmith to find out what makes her tick.

2. see also SE compounds below.

overly talkative, a chatterbox.

1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) n.p.: Like a sheep’s head, all jaw; saying of a talkative man or woman.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1796].
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 41: Look at that man! hear him: why, he’s all jaw like a sheep’s head.
1880		Henley & Stevenson Deacon Brodie IV tab.VII i: You’re all jaw like a sheep’s jimmy.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1942		Worker (Brisbane) 7 Sept. 14/3: ‘Woman’s all jaw,’ said Stampy.

to be quiet; often as imper. hold your jaw!

1753		Foote Englishman in Paris in Works (1799) I 37: Hold your jaw.
1760		B. Weatherby Great News from Hell 42: Hold your Jaw, replied I, you Fool, make none of your Resolutions.
1795		Sporting Mag. Dec. VII 141/1: Mr. Courtenay being asked [...] what the Sedition Bill really meant, pleasantly replied – Hold your jaw.
1800		G.S. Carey ‘Hold Your Jaw’ in One Thousand Eight Hundred 20: A Cit much distress’d / A statesman address’d, / Respecting the silencing law, / The statesman reply’d [...] The meaning is — hold your Jaw.
1811		J. Poole Hamlet Travestie I iii: You’d better hold your jaw, — be quiet, will you?
1825		‘Humours of Saturday Night’ Universal Songster I 233: Hold your jaw.
c.1838		G.W.M. Reynolds ‘The House Breaker’s Song’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 122: Let nobs in the fur trade hold their jaw, / And let the jug be free.
1845		J.J. Hooper Adventures of Captain Simon Suggs (1851) 88: Next time keep your jaw, you slink.
1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd Ser.) 277: Hold your cursed jaw, you fool!
1852		‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 4 July 3/3: ‘Prick up both your ears [...] you young howdayshus varmint, and hold your jaw’.
1853		T. Haliburton Sam Slick’s Wise Saws I 266: ‘Hold your jaw,’ said he, ‘will you?’.
1853		Bell’s Life in Sydney 18 June 2/7: They told her to ‘hold your jaw and go away’.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 41/2: Several songs were named by the costers, but the ‘funny gentleman’ merely requested them ‘to hold their jaws’.
1876		M.E. Braddon Dead Men’s Shoes III 286: Hold your jaw!
1884		W.C. Russell Jack’s Courtship II 297: I had worked a look into her face that was like asking me to hold my jaw.
1890		H. Nisbet ‘Bail Up!’ 217: Hold your jaw! [...] We don’t allow speaking here.
1901		Truth (Sydney) 3 Feb. 8/3: ‘Cabby,’ sez she, ‘hold yer jaw’.
1901		B. Pain De Omnibus 62: Ike ’ull plye orf a bit o’ kid on ’im so as ter teach ’im ’is plice and encourage ’im ter ’old ’is jaw.
1913		Truth (Sydney) 25 May 11/3: For the land’s sake hold yer jaw / Do not go on talkin’ rubbish.
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘Introduction’ in Moods of Ginger Mick xii: But we could smoke, an’ ’old our jor, an’ be reel company.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 327: The citizen bawling and Alf and Joe at him to whisht and he on his high horse about the jews and the loafers calling for a speech and Jack Power trying to get him to sit down in the car and hold his bloody jaw.
1929		W.D. Edmonds Rome Haul 199: Hold your jaw, old man.
1935		B. Traven Treasure of the Sierra Madre 77: ‘Hold your jaw!’ Dobbs shouted angrily.
1948		N. Nye Breed of the Chaparral (1949) 31: Better haul up yo’ jaw an’ do a little thinkin’.

to brag, to boast, to fantasize.

1996		E. Bunker Dog Eat Dog 71: ‘Quit running your jaws and let’s go,’ Pearl said.
2007		C. Goffard Snitch Jacket 145: A bona fide killer or just another schmuck running his jaws.
2008		Dapharoah69 King of Erotica 2 276: Her man was in the background running his jaws. I saw him now, barking over her shoulder.

to stop talking; usu. as imper.

1845		J. Lindridge Sixteen-String Jack 317: If he don’t stow his jaw and behave himself I’ll split upon him!
1883		Fortnightly Rev. 40 590: A man’s voice shouted: ‘Stow your jaw and let a man sleep!’.
1892		C. Martin Silent Sea 219: ‘Stow your jaw! what are you giving me such impudence for?’ broke out Trevaskis savagely.
1906		E. Nesbit Railway Children (2008) 20: Stow your jaw, you young rip, and come along to the station.
1910		H. Rider Haggard Queen Sheba’s Ring 199: Stow your jaw if you don’t want to follow him, you swine.
1919		G.A. England Cursed 14: That’ll do. Stow your jaw, now!
1929		‘Max Brand’ Rustlers of Beacon Creek (1935) 2: ‘Stow your jaw,’ answered the sheriff.

(Aus.) to stop talking.

1959

(con. 1940s) ‘David Forrest’ Last Blue Sea 171: Fisher had told Lincoln to tie his jaw up.

the cheeks.

1825

‘Margate Hoy’ in Universal Songster I 5/2: Clew up the plaints in your jaw-bags, and give your tongue leave of absence.

see separate entry.

see separate entries.

see separate entries.

see jawbreaker n.

(US) empty chatter; thus jawflaps n., a talkative person, flap one’s jawsto talk aggressively, excessively.

1947		Foreign Service 35-6 3/1: We have heard a lot of jaw-flapping, pro and con, on the subject of the billions involved in the Marshall Plan.
1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 83: First thing you know, that Steerman be back gettin us busy with one of those Village jawflaps.
1957		G. Metalious Peyton Place (1959) 157: ‘Goddamn it!’ roared the Doc. ‘Stop your jaw-flapping and do as I say!’.
1979		(con. late 19C) J.T. Edson Gentle Giant 56: All that fancy jaw-flapping.
2005		T. Dekker Heaven’s Wager 302: I have no intention of standing here in some jaw-flapping contest with you.
2010		A. Scholl After ‘I Do’ 61: It was a motherly-type woman who worked a few yards away from me who had the courage to tell me what all of the jaw-flapping was about.
2013		T. Robinson Hard Bounce [ebook] [T]he manager grabbed my vest and flapped his jaws at me a little too aggressively.

talk, conversation, a speech.

1906

E. Pugh Spoilers 153: He made her head ache, she declared, with his noisy jaw-mag.

conversation, chatter, esp. when verbose or tedious.

1876		‘A.O.S.’ Ups and Downs of a Blue Coat Boy 136: There was plenty of jaw music of a very low class from Marsden and his chums.
1895		Hocking Sentinel(Logan, OH) 14 Nov. 3/5: The song was a very effective strain of jaw music.
1909		NY Tribune 25 Apr. 5/3: I was [...] playing at heroics and lambasting Philistines with jawbones or jaw music.
1925		S. Lewis Arrowsmith 71: Gosh, Clif, you cer’nly got a swell line of jaw-music.

1. (US) a dentist.

1942

Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. of Sl. 529.10: Dentist. . . jawsmith [DARE].

2. see also sl. compounds above.

see jawbreaker n.

talk, conversation; thus jaw-workern., a talker.

1737		Rabelais ed. Ozell Works III xiii: When the Jaw-work’s over, by the Sound of my small Pipe, I’ll measure the Muzzle of the Musing Dotards.
1756		W. Toldervy Hist. of the Two Orphans III 166: Come, come, cried the captain, avast, no more of your jaw work here.
[1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Jaw work; a cry used in fairs by the sellers of nuts].
1821		J. Burrowes Life in St George’s Fields 10: As he is very full of glib, you must let him have all the jaw-work to himself.
1840		R. Barham ‘Dead Drummer’ in Ingoldsby Legends II (1866) 317: His jaw-work would never, I’m sure, s’elp me Bob, / Have come for to go for to do sich a job!
1853		J.G. Baldwin Flush Times of Alabama and Mississippi 193: Jonas was prodigal in the jaw-work.
1899		J.W. Davis Gawktown Revival Club 23: His co-jaw workers [...] were kept in a constant state of hectic terror.
1967		J. Hibberd White with Wire Wheels (1973) 228: simon: Can’t you talk about anything else? mal: Why should I? simon: Because it just isn’t worth all the jaw-work.

see under crack v.¹

(US) to talk idly, to gossip.

1948		J. Evans Halo For Satan (1949) 199: I sat down again and lighted another cigarette, just for something to do, and went on flapping my jaw.
1958		Time & Tide 39 883/2: Who has not sat in itching misery in drawing rooms, flapping his jaws mechanically in the simulated art of conversation.
1962		(con. 1940s) G. Mandel Wax Boom 77: I just flap my jaw too much.
1972		O. Hawkins Ghetto Sketches 219: Rappin’ Rudi [...] flappin’ his jaws off about Lubertha and Kwendi.
1979		S. King Dead Zone (1980) 338: That isn’t a thing I’d ever flap my jaw about freely.
1997		E. Little Another Day in Paradise 95: My brain is already calling him names [...] Fortunately, I can’t flap my jaws.
2005		Postcards from Nerd Island 12 Apr. [blog] When I’m not on the phone, I’m flapping my jaw all over the office, at dinner with friends, at the bar [...] I flap my jaw about 300 times more than is actually necessary in a given day.
2011		D.R. Pollock Devil All the Time 85: She was good at it, flirting and flapping her jaws, putting them at ease.

(US black) to make someone angry.

1970		Current Sl. V:1 16: Jaws!, n. Anger or frustration (derived from It really tightens my jaws that . . .).
1973		All in the Family [CBS-TV] This chump tightens my jaws [HDAS].
a.1990		C.T. Westcott Half a Klick 154: Hey, you are grindin’ my jaw [HDAS].