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Jogar conversa fora

Portuguese

Meaning

To shoot the breeze / To make small talk

Example

Não tinha nada para fazer, fiquei jogando conversa fora com a Rita.

I had nothing to do, I was shooting the breeze with Rita.

Origin

The image turns on the verb jogar fora, "to throw away". A conversa fora is talk with no aim — not meant to settle anything, just enjoyed for its own sake — so it is light enough to be "thrown out".