| The inanity, the empty politeness of small talk is revealed by its absence. |
| He saw his entire marriage, spent without conversation beyond small talk and bickering. |
| Pleasant evening, but we don't actually know anyone there, and small talk isn't coming easy for some reason. |
| He smiled as he set down a tray of mugs in front of a few ladies, who giggled at him and made polite small talk. |
| The awkward small talk is as communicatively insipid as the first time you asked someone out on a date. |
| As small talk so often does, the chatter turned to the subject of accidental shootings. |
