Talk a blue streak

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Talk a blue streak means to talk rapidly and continuously at great length; in verbose poetry, it conveys energy, excitement, or the overwhelming flow of speech that dominates conversation.

Detailed Definition
Talk a blue streak means to speak rapidly, continuously, and often energetically. In poetry, the idiom can characterise a lively gossip, nervous speaker, excited child, persuasive talker, or comic monologist. Its colour image is vivid but mysterious, giving speech a streaking visual trail. A poet may use it to show verbal abundance, anxiety, charm, or evasion. The phrase is useful for poems where voice itself becomes motion, carrying the reader through speed, repetition, and breathless energy.
Example
Example in poetry:
A comic poem might describe the aunt talking a blue streak before anyone can pour the tea; In a market poem, vendors talk a blue streak as rain rattles the awnings; The phrase means to speak rapidly and at length; A poet can use it for energy, noise, and comic character.
Additional Notes
Talk a blue streak means talk very rapidly and at length. The idiom is energetic and informal, useful for comic monologue, gossip, panic, salesmanship, or excited storytelling. The colour blue may imply a visible trail of speech, as if language leaves a streak in the air. Students should notice how the phrase can shape rhythm: breathless syntax, repetition, and rushing clauses can imitate excessive talk. It suits lively characterisation.
Also Known As
talk fast
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