Trash Talking
Board Game Trash Talk
I don’t care about winning, but I love trash talking. It usually works better when you are winning though. I like the creativity of trash talking and the manipulation of language. I discovered my love of trash talking while playing basketball in high school with my friends. It was a way to communicate with other people that was quite comfortable for me because no one took it seriously. Trash talking is most often used in sports. Nowadays, I like to trash talk while playing ping pong. I wasn’t the best basketball player and I might be the worst ping pong player at work, but I think I am one of the best trash talkers.
You can use trash talking in other areas as well. It is mostly used in competitions. I found myself trash talking a lot on Friday night. It was board game night and for some reason I won every game. I don’t want to win all of the time. I’d rather that everyone else have fun. But one of the benefits of winning is the “right” to trash talk. What do you think about trash talking? Do you enjoy it? Do you think it is bad?
Meaning
Trash talking means to insult or harass someone usually during a competition. It is prevalent in sports, but is also common in e-sports, rap battles, and board gaming. Some synonyms for trash talking include smack talk, shit talking, and sledging (cricket).
Example: I can’t concentrate. My opponent is trash talking me and it is distracting me.
Muhammed Ali
Etymonline dates the phrase to 1989. However, that was only the label for the act of trash talking. Certainly, people have been trash talking for a long time. Muhammed Ali is considered one of the greatest trash talkers of all time and might have been responsible for popularizing the practice. Joe Kozlowski, writing for Sportscasting, suggests that Ali’s trash talking led to the boastful lyrics of modern rap. Before Ali, competitors insulted each other, but Ali introduced hyperbole. You can see his use of hyperbole in “I'll show you how great I am” speech. He was also quick-witted and charismatic. It seemed like trash talking was a game to him.