natter (2009-05-02)

Part of Speech: verb

Pronunciation: ['nah-tê (UK), 'næ-dêr (US)]

Definition: (1) To nag, grumble, complain (mostly Scotland and Northern England); (2) to chatter mindlessly.

Usage: In 1970 Vice President Spiro Agnew proclaimed, "In the United States today, we have more than our share of the nattering nabobs of negativity." This alliterative phrase, coined by New York Times columnist William Safire, referred to critics of the Viet Nam war. However, natterers seldom dwell on anything so profound as war; by definition nattering is superficial: "Whenever she gets lonely she comes over to natter the afternoon away with me over tea."

Suggested Usage: The activity is nattering and those who indulge in it are natterers. Nattery people are those with a proclivity to natter.

Etymology: It may be a variant of dialectal gnatter "to nibble, chatter" or it may be a blend of "nag" and "chatter," no one knows for sure. It is a fairly recent word, first recorded in 1804 in Scotland, where it originally meant "nag, grumble, complain." It seems unrelated to "natty" as in "nattily dressed;" this word is probably a corruption of "neat."