palaver

n. 谈判，交涉；奉承

vi. 唠叨；空谈；奉承，拍马

vt. 奉承

中文词源

palaver 琐事，忙乱，废话

水手航海俚语，来自葡萄牙语palavra,说话，谈话，与土著人的谈判，来自拉丁语parabola,比较，谈话，谈判，词源同parable,parlance.后引申词义琐事，废话。

palaver: palaver: [18] Palaver originated as a piece of naval slang picked up by English sailors in Africa. There they came across Portuguese traders negotiating with the local inhabitants, a process known in Portuguese as palavra ‘speech’ (a descendant of Latin parabola, source of English parable). They took the Portugese word over as palaver, applying it first to ‘negotiations’, and then by extension to ‘idle chatter’.
=> parable
palaver (n.): 1733 (implied in palavering), "talk, conference, discussion," sailors' slang, from Portuguese palavra "word, speech, talk," traders' term for "negotiating with the natives" in West Africa, metathesis of Late Latin parabola "speech, discourse," from Latin parabola "comparison" (see parable). Meaning "idle talk" first recorded 1748. The verb is 1733, from the noun. Related: Palavering.

5. However, another fascinating question, hitherto absent from the current palaver, may prove more tractable.: 然而, 另一个至今都没人谈论到的,更吸引人的问题, 或许更容易找到答案.