English

Verb

talk down ‎(third-person singular simple present talks down, present participle talking down, simple past and past participle talked down)

1. (idiomatic) To negotiate a lower price.

   If he offers a very high price, see if you can talk him down before you agree to anything.

2. (flying) Of ground control: to verbally assist someone to land an aircraft.
   • 1960 Feb, “Business with FAA”, in Flying Magazine, page 109:

     GET TALKED DOWN: When a pilot gets caught in weather, he may call the nearest tower for Ground Controlled Approach landing assistance, wherever the airport has GCA radar.

   • 2000, Larry King, Anything Goes!: What I've Learned from Pundits, Politicians, and Presidents, ISBN 0759520356, page 139:

     He got out, looked at me, and said, “I feel like Doris Day in Julie when she was talked down by air traffic control and landed the airplane.”[.]

   • 2008, Winston Fletcher, Powers of Persuasion: The Inside Story of British Advertising 1951-2000, ISBN 0191647594:

     Its Spielberg-inspired first commercial, in which Manhattan Island floated loftily through the sky and was talked down by air traffic control at Heathrow[.]

   • 2008, Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block, Mayday, ISBN 0748109455:

     In other words, if you talk him down and he crashes, you're worse off than if you hadn't tried.

3. (transitive) To convince a person to cease a drastic action or response, such as a suicide attempt or act of rage.
   • 2007, Deep Storm by Lincoln Child

     Talk him down, the rule book went. Calm him, get him secured. Easier said than done. Crane had talked down a would-be jumper standing on a support cable of the George Washington Bridge.

   • Shelby: A Great Love by CJ Raines

     And that guy that talked him down told us what happen^[sic]. It's kidnapping, attempted assault.

See also

• talk down to

Translations