jawing

Pluraljawings

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of jaw.

   The neighbors stood jawing by the fence long after sunset.

   He was jawing away about his fishing trip when the phone finally rang.

   Note

   Several different verbs share this one spelling. With an object, jawing someone means berating them. Without one, it can mean scolding in general or, informally, just talking. On a pool table, a ball is jawing when it sticks in the jaws of a pocket. In Scotland the verb means pouring or throwing something out, or splashing and surging. The countable noun, with its plural jawings, is the scolding itself.

2. 2
   nouncountable

   A scolding or lengthy reproof directed at someone for their behavior.

   The sergeant delivered a fierce jawing to the recruits who had overslept.

   After his careless mistake, he braced himself for a serious jawing from the boss.

   Similarscolding, reprimand, rebuke, dressing-down, telling-off

   Oppositepraise, commendation

   Note

   This is a countable noun, so it takes an article and a plural: a jawing, several jawings. Mark Twain's The Canvasser's Tale (1876) strings jawings together with bickerings and heart-burnings. The plural turns single reproofs into a running atmosphere of quarrels. It sits close to the verb form, which names the activity, but only this noun can be counted.

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