Earbash

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To talk at someone at great length in a tiring, tedious manner that they cannot easily escape from
2. Speaking non-stop to a listener for an extended period, wearing them out with endless chatter
3. To lecture or chatter at a person so persistently that they grow weary of listening

Etymology: "Earbash" is a plain compound: "ear" plus "bash," the old sense of "to strike" or "to hit hard." Put together, the word describes a talker who batters a listener's ears with endless talk until the listener gives up. The picture is physical: the verbal onslaught is imagined as a blow to the head. The word is formed in the same way as other English compounds that turn a body part and an action into a single verb, a pattern that suits informal, colourful speech. Because the second element is the familiar "bash," the sense of violence is softened into a joke about boredom and noise rather than real harm.

Synonyms: harangue, lecture, nag, chatter at