What it means
Wittering on is talking for ages about stuff that doesn’t matter, usually in a rambling, slightly whiny way. Not a full-on rant, more background noise you can’t switch off. People witter on about office drama, the neighbour’s bins, or the weather like it’s breaking news. If someone tells you to stop wittering, they’re begging for mercy.
Usage examples
"He started wittering on about parking permits at the pub, so I did a polite nod, legged it to the loo, and he was still at it."
"She was wittering on about the new bins for twenty minutes while my tea went stone cold."
"Stop wittering on and tell me what actually happened, I've lost the thread completely."
"My uncle was wittering on about the price of stamps again, and honestly the room nearly aged ten years."
"I only asked if the train was late, not for him to start wittering on about council cuts and puddles."
Where it comes from
Witter goes back to older Scots and northern English use, where it meant to chatter, fuss, or talk in a small restless way. Witter on grew out of that as a very British phrasal verb for carrying on with rambling, low-stakes talk that just keeps droning past its sell-by date.
