talk like a book
UK/ˌtɔːk laɪk‿ə ˈbʊk/US/ˌtɔk laɪk‿ə ˈbʊk/
talk like a book verb: to talk pedantically, or using excessively difficult or literary words.
Verb
talk like a book (third-person singular simple present talks like a book, present participle talking like a book, simple past and past participle talked like a book)
- To talk pedantically, or using excessively difficult or literary words.
- People ſhould not vvrite as they talk, except in letters (vvhich are but a converſation in vvriting): it is too careleſs. And they neither can nor ought to ſpeak as they vvrite, for this vvould be unnatural. I ſuppose it vvas first intended as a compliment to a perſon to ſay, He talks like a book...1744, [Nicolas-Charles-Joseph] Trublet, “Of the Different Talents for Speaking and Writing”, in [anonymous], transl., Essays upon Several Subjects of Literature and Morality. […], London: […] J....
- “I am sure,” said Abel to Caliban, looking at the hearth-stone of the chimney with lively curiosity, “that there is below there, the entrance to a subterranean palace, like the garden in which Aladdin took his lamp, with a pavement of sapphire, pillars of diamond, golden fruits, the seeds of the...1846, [Honoré] de Balzac, “La Dernière Fée”, in T. D. F., transl., The Literary Garland, and Canadian Magazine; a Monthly Repository of Tales, Sketches, Poetry, Music, Engravings, &c. &c., new...
- Synonyms:
- speak like a book
- To talk precisely and with authority.
- You cannot conceive, ladies, hovv good a ſchool that tavern vvas to me. It vvas frequented by a great number of learned men, vvho talked like a book concerning the character of a vvorthy man; of the pleaſure and advantage that, in every condition of life, attended the being juſt, good, and...1793 February, [Jean-François] Marmontel, “The Waterman of Besons”, in [anonymous], transl., The Sentimental and Masonic Magazine, volume II, Dublin: […] John Jones, […], →OCLC, page 131
- "Thence," said the slim gentleman, glibly talking like a book—a railway guide-book, at least—"thence by rail to Utrecht and Emerick on the Prussian frontier, you know. Then to Cologne—remember the Three Kings and the Eleven Thousand Virgins."1860, George Augustus Sala, “From the Tower of London to Rotterdam on the Rhine”, in Make Your Game, or, The Adventures of the Stout Gentleman, the Slim Gentleman, and the Man with the Iron Chest: A...
Examples of talk like a book in a sentence
- "You talk like a book, my friend," said my lord, smiling, and puffing away at his pipe, "but you talked of saving time, and I do not yet know the purpose of your errand."1906 January, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “Lord and Peasant”, in A Son of the People: A Romance of the Hungarian Plains, London...
- Being with her mother made her talk like a book.1926 October, Ford Madox Ford, chapter X, in A Man Could Stand Up — […] (Parade’s End; 3), 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Albert &...
- But then no disgrace is attached in France to saying a thing neatly; whereas in England, to talk like a book is to give in one’s resignation to society.1878, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Origny Sainte-Benoîte: A By-day”, in An Inland Voyage, London: C[harles] Kegan Paul & Co., […], →OCLC, pages...
Synonyms of talk like a book
Forms of talk like a book
| third-person singular present | talks like a book |
|---|---|
| present participle | talking like a book |
| past participle | talked like a book |
| past | talked like a book |
Origin of talk like a book
From the fact that the written language used in books is generally more formal than spoken language.
Words that rhyme with talk like a book
38 more rhymesFewer rhymes
- blook
- brooke
- logbook
- stook
- jook
- mistook
- overcook
- shook
- sook
- took
- undercook
- abrook
- betook
- bring to book
- by hook and by crook
- by hook or by crook
- checkbook
- cheque book
- chequebook
- Corner Brook
- forsook
- Glenburnie-Birchy Head-Shoal Brook
- gook
- Hughes Brook
- Knook
- log book
- log-book
- Main Brook
- mook
- overtook
- partook
- quook
- schnook
- shnook
- South Brook
- Steady Brook
- uncrook
- undertook
Questions about talk like a book
- What does talk like a book mean?
- Talk like a book means to talk pedantically, or using excessively difficult or literary words.
- How do you use talk like a book in a sentence?
- "You talk like a book, my friend," said my lord, smiling, and puffing away at his pipe, "but you talked of saving time, and I do not yet know the purpose of your errand."
- What part of speech is talk like a book?
- Talk like a book is a verb.
- How do you pronounce talk like a book?
- Talk like a book is pronounced /ˌtɔːk laɪk‿ə ˈbʊk/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of talk like a book?
- The past tense of talk like a book is talked like a book.
Words near talk like a book in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: talk like a book (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-talk like a book.ogg.
Cite this entry: “talk like a book.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/talk_like_a_book. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.