Shoot the bull Meaning in English
expression
SHOOT thuh BOOL
SHOOT thuh BOOL
Definition
To have a casual and friendly conversation, usually about unimportant things; to chat informally.
Usage & Nuances
Informal and often American English; similar to 'shoot the breeze.' Used for social, relaxed conversations, not for serious topics. Never formal or in writing. Sometimes mildly vulgar, but widely accepted in casual use.
Spanish: charlar - hablar de tonteríasPortuguese (BR): jogar conversa fora - bater papo - falar besteiraPortuguese (PT): conversar - dizer disparatesChinese (Simplified): 闲聊 - 聊天 - 说废话Chinese (Traditional): 閒聊 - 聊天 - 說廢話Hindi: गप्पे मारना - फालतू बातें करनाArabic: الدردشة - الكلام الفارغBengali: গল্প করা - আড্ডা মারাRussian: болтать - трепатьсяJapanese: 雑談する - 世間話をするVietnamese: tám chuyện - nói chuyện phiếmKorean: 수다 떨다 - 잡담하다Turkish: sohbet etmek - laflamakUrdu: گپ شپ کرنا - خوش گپی کرناIndonesian: ngobrol santai - bercakap-cakap ringan
Example Sentences
After dinner, we sat around and shot the bull.
basic
They like to shoot the bull every weekend at the park.
basic
My grandpa loves to shoot the bull with his old friends.
basic
We didn’t get any work done—we just shot the bull all afternoon.
natural
I bumped into Jake at the store and we started to shoot the bull about old times.
natural
Let’s grab some coffee and shoot the bull for a bit.
natural