What does colloguing mean?
Colloguing is the present participle of the verb collogue, meaning to talk or confer privately, particularly with an air of secrecy or scheming. The word is chiefly found in Scottish and Irish English, where it has been in use since at least the sixteenth century, and it retains a literary, slightly archaic flavour in modern writing. To say that people were colloguing suggests they stepped aside for a quiet word — whether innocent conferring among friends or something more conniving, like officials plotting behind closed doors. Its connotations lean toward intimacy and intrigue rather than open discussion, which distinguishes it from neutral terms like discuss or deliberate. Though uncommon, colloguing is a vivid choice for writers who want to evoke hushed conversations, backroom deals, or the cosy murmur of old acquaintances catching up out of earshot.
verb (present participle)To confer or talk together privately, especially in order to plot or scheme; to hold a secret or confidential discussion.
- To converse or confer privately, especially with conspiratorial or secretive intent.
"The two councillors were colloguing in the corridor long after the meeting had ended."
"She suspected the directors had spent the weekend colloguing over her dismissal."
"In the corner of the tavern, two old friends sat colloguing about days gone by."
Collogue sounds like 'dialogue' wearing a trench coat — it's the word for whispering behind closed doors, and it has been the verb of choice for schemers in Scotland and Ireland since the 1500s.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of colloguing
Collogue first appears in English in the sixteenth century, with its earliest strong associations in Scots and later Irish usage. Its ultimate origin is uncertain; one common suggestion links it to the Greek-derived '-logue' element seen in words like dialogue and monologue, though this connection is not firmly established. Whatever its precise roots, the word settled into regional British English as a term for private or confidential talk, and it remains a distinctive marker of Scottish and Irish idiom.
Related word forms
How colloguing is actually used
Collogue is a relatively rare and somewhat literary word, most at home in Scottish and Irish English. It often carries a faint suggestion of secrecy or intrigue, so it suits contexts of whispered plotting as well as intimate conversation.
Easily confused with colloguing
Collude means to cooperate secretly for an illegal or deceitful purpose, while collogue more neutrally means to confer privately, though it can carry a hint of scheming.
A colloquy is a formal conversation or conference, whereas colloguing refers to the act of talking privately, often with an undercurrent of intrigue.