OriginProbably of imitative origin; perhaps from ch(irp) + (y)elp.
- Northern-England, intransitiveTo gossip, particularly in a forthright manner.
“He's not here so we are chelping in the staffroom and ignoring the to-do list on the board.”
“1820, John Clare, “My Mary” in Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery, London: Taylor and Hessey, p. 87,
Who’s laugh’d at too by every whelp,
For failings which she cannot help?
But silly fools w”
- Northern-England, intransitiveTo speak rudely or out of turn.
“The teacher got angry at all her chelping.”
Formschelps(present, singular, third-person) · chelping(participle, present) · chelped(participle, past) · chelped(past)