Have you ever heard of this word before: Palaver?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So, some background first. I was talking in messenger with a friend of mine who lives in the UK the other night and she used a word I had never ever heard of, read, or seen before… it was just a brand new word to me. Palaver. To go on and on about something, boringly or whiningly.

This was new to me… a word that, in my 45 years, I have yet to learn and she used to so causally.

Now… I live in the US and I can DEFINITELY say, I do not hear this word used in regular or common usage… or, hell, even in UNCOMMON usage. I cannot ever remembering anyone ever use this word before (until last night, that is). And I’m a reader. I have read a great many books, I read the news, I read Wikipedia for fun, daily…and yet this word has still somehow managed to escape my notice or knowledge.

…

Now…
…I greatly hesitating asking on here “do you know this word/have you ever seen it before/have you ever heard anyone use this word before/have you, yourself, ever used this word before?”…because…well…
It’s the SDMB. Everyone here is a genius, of course. OF COURSE, everyone and their mother is going to have heard of this word. Probably everyone in their family will know it and use it regularly. It will probably be the newest addition to every posters’ family on here’s FIRST WORD… that is how I KNOW a topic like this would probably go here.

The problem comes from many reasons, I feel… first and foremost, that usually only those who KNOW the word are going to be attracted to this topic and want to answer. “Oh, of COURSE I know that word… I just use it 100 times a day”.
The wording of the topic/question itself “who KNOWS this word?” or “have you ever HEARD of this word?” It seems to be looking, more so, for people who, YES, indeed have heard of it before.
And those who don’t? Well, they consider themselves having learned a new word, at least…but does it result in them replying to this and admitting “well,… no…I did not yet know that word, and never heard of it before.”

Those are a bit more so the answers I am looking for, almost to the point where I considered naming this topic specifically, instead, something like “WHO ELSE HAS NOT HEARD OF THIS WORD BEFORE?” (much like myself before last night, that is)

At least that would only draw in the true amount of people who are in the same boat as me and, thus, won’t feel as dumb.

Another thing that will CLEARLY happen here is… well, location. Obviously (as my friend who used the word lives in the UK) people who live in the UK will more than likely know the word well…as might people who live in Australia, Canada (possibly), and other places that are overseas to the US (not that Canada is…but you know what I mean). I feel people there MAY be more likely to have heard of or be aware of that word already.
So…mostly interested if you live in the US and have heard of it, live and was born here…
…although no matter where you live, you are obviously free to reply and weigh in with your thoughts and opinion and experience.

Mostly, just hoping for at least a few others who, like myself, have never ever known of this word until just now. If you have… that’s fine, feel free to reply and say so, but … well, that’s expected. It’s the SDMB. :stuck_out_tongue: You’re all Mensa members, aren’t you? Of course you’re going to know a simple word.

I tease. I’m just kidding. I appreciate any thoughts and experiences here. Feel free, anyone, to weigh in and tell me your answer.

Please, though, if you have never heard of this word before (like my case was, last night), don’t feel hesitant to admit it.

2

Yes, I knew the word already, but admittedly it’s uncommon, and these days you’re most likely to see it in a recipe for African “palaver sauce.”

May as well add it’s from Portuguese palabra ‘speech, talk’, related to parley, parliament, and parable. Its original meaning was a synonym of parley.

3

Before reading the body of text, just from the title, my reaction was “Yup, that’s an extremely British word and the only reason I know it is from reading old fashioned, British books as a child”. I don’t know if Roald Dahl ever used the word but if it wasn’t him, it was Brian Jacques or some other extremely British, extremely old fashioned author.

4

Upon reading the thread title I thought both “Yes I have heard it” and “no I can’t give a definition of it at the moment…”

But also I have perimenopause brain so I may have known it really well last week, who knows. :woman_shrugging:

I’ve consumed a lot of British media too so that must be why I’ve heard it. I wouldn’t feel bad not knowing it.

5

I also know it, in the sense that I have heard it before and have a general idea of what it means. I can’t recall where I first encountered it. I do not use it myself, and have only rarely heard it used by anyone else. But yes, I was aware of its existence.

6

Same here. Except for the menopause part.

7

In the US?

Sure, but it’s a bit old fashioned. I haven’t run across it in the wild in some time.

8

I’m well familiar with the word as a guy born and raised in the rural parts of Central Indiana, because from a young age (probably too young) I read all the Stephen King books my mom brought into the house, which is to say ALL of the Stephen King books. Mr. King loves to use the work palaver, especially in his Dark Tower series.

9

Know it, have used it.

10

Just like @Pork_Rind (who posted while I was typing, so this was edited) because I read Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, it was familiar with me. Not seen it used in any other context though. :slight_smile:

11

Ope, just had a thought. I think I would have equated it with “hubub.”

12

I am familiar with the word (living in Ireland but I associate it more with English people). The usage I am familiar with is not as you have described. For me, it means a “to-do”, a drama, a big fuss. It’s a noun, not a verb.

13

I’m familiar with it from books, but it’s not something I would generally use myself (except with a couple of people who ‘get’ me and my occasional word-nerdisms) because I hate having to interrupt a story or whatever to explain the language I use. It’s embarrassing all around.

14

I’ve heard palaver used in old westerns. It means a quick conference between people. In westerns it usually was done to resolve some issue instead of just shooting each other.

15

“If you just went out to talk, why’d you have to shoot him?”

“Conversation kind of dried up, ma’am.”

16

I feel like I’ve heard it on British TV but didn’t know how to spell it (puh-la-vuh) and didn’t look it up.

Now that I’ve looked it up, I’d say that it doesn’t feel like a word that fills a gap, so I don’t think I’ll add it to my lexicon.

17

Count me as one who is unfamiliar with the word. I have no conscious memory of ever encountering it before, but yet, somehow I guessed “this is a synonym for ‘parley’” before reading down to this post:

and definitely not:

I don’t speak Portuguese but I did take a couple years of high school Spanish. I don’t recall ever learning that word there, feels like that would have been an advanced vocabulary word taught later.

18

I know it, and I’ve used it, but not often. It’s uncommon, but not totally exotic.

19

Same here. I’ve been aware of the word for decades, and associate it with old-time westerns.

Asimov used the word to add a clue to a secret identity in one of his novels (no spoilers)

20

If palaver, there is one poster who knows what pleonastic means

(And many others who live by it)