cross talk

or cross-talk, cross·talk

noun

interference heard on a telephone or radio because of unintentional coupling to another communication channel.
incidental conversation; chatter, as opposed to formal discussion: The meeting was slowed by cross talk between board members.
British. witty, fast-paced dialogue, especially in a play, comic act, etc.; repartee.

Origin of cross talk

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby cross talk

cross someone's palm with silver, cross someone's path, cross street, cross stroke, cross swords, cross talk, cross the rubicon, cross to bear, cross tolerance, cross training, cross up

Example sentences from the Web for cross talk

  • During the process of dressing there was a great deal of "cross-talk" going on at Queen's that night.

    Molly Brown's Sophomore Days |Nell Speed

  • If this were not so, cross-talk would exist between the telephones of the operators' positions connected to the same battery.

    Cyclopedia of Telephony and Telegraphy, Vol. 2 |Kempster Miller

  • Don't answer back as though we were a vaudeville team doing a cross-talk act.

    The Man Upstairs |P. G. Wodehouse

  • The torments, inflicted on my suspense by a pair of cross-talk comedians, cannot be surpassed in hell.

    To Tell You the Truth |Leonard Merrick