What it means
Chinwag is a friendly, unplanned chat where you end up putting the world to rights, swapping gossip, or just waffling for the joy of it. It can be a quick natter, but it often stretches into ages once the tea or pints start flowing. The image is simple: your chin wagging up and down as you talk.
Usage examples
"I bumped into Dan outside Tesco and what was meant to be a quick hello turned into a full chinwag and a brew in the café."
"We had a proper chinwag on the doorstep and an hour just vanished."
Where it comes from
A plain-spoken mash of "chin" and "wag", the picture of two chins wagging away in easy conversation. A chinwag is a good long natter, the unhurried catch-up over a brew where the talk matters far more than the topic.
Other ways to say it
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