conversation piece

conversation piece

Something unusual or interesting that becomes or is intended to become the topic of conversation when it is encountered by other people. Did you see Helen's new chair that's shaped like a giant red stiletto shoe? Yes, it's quite the conversation piece! Jane's new hairstyle became a conversation piece in the office because people couldn't believe she would cut her hair so short.
See also: conversation, piece
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

conversation piece

An unusual object that arouses comment or interest, as in That bust of Aunt Nettie is ugly but it's an excellent conversation piece. In the early 1700s this same term was used for a particular kind of painting that represented a group, often a family, arranged as though they were conversing with one another. Later in the century the term was extended to any object that stimulates conversation.
See also: conversation, piece
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • conversation
  • open (one's) mind (to something)
  • open mind
  • open your mind to
  • opening
  • about last night...
  • have heard the last of (someone or something)
  • hear the last of (someone or something)
  • hear/see the end/the last of somebody/something
  • hear/see the last of somebody/something
References in periodicals archive
The sub-genre of 18th-century British portraiture known as 'the conversation piece' has almost come to define our visual and mental understanding of how the aristocratic, gentry and mercantile elites looked and behaved, as they relaxed, entertained, and showed off.
Group dynamics: An important new study adds to our understanding of a familiar genre, writes Stephen Lloyd
DOWNLOAD THESE: Waste A Moment, Conversation Piece, Walls TOM CHAPLIN - THE WAVE KEANE lead singer Chaplin has played it safe with his debut solo single Quicksand.
album reviews BY ANDREW GREENHALGH
1 | A stylish book to give and get, this handsome coffee table edition will become a conversation piece in a well-appointed home.
Graphic proof
8) "A Conversation Piece - two ladies chat on Elysium Lane in 1982 as an Inter-City 125 train speeds past.
The urban 'beauty' of 1970s and 80s
Bellamy uses his grandfather's dental drill to transform your European mount into an intricate conversation piece.
Carved in bone
| |This fox head This fox head rhinestone rhinestone necklace is a real conversation conversation piece, PS12.50, piece, PS12.50, Freedom at Freedom at Topshop | Stag do...
Into the woods; From owls to foxes, wolves to bunnies, woodland creatures are springing up on ever ything from cosy hats to cushions. are springing up on ever ything from cosy hats to cushions. EMMA JOHNSON hunts them down
Be your own conversation piece in this midi dress, PS39, Very (www.very.co.uk) | Day collar...
Print run; Liven up your home and your look with some pretty patterns, says EMMA JOHNSON
At once forward-thinking and exhilaratingly of the moment, this heady conversation piece could yield substantial commercial returns with the right marketing and release strategy.
Good Kill
With amazing speed, the transformation takes place and what was once a bit of an eyesore becomes a conversation piece of gigantic dimensions, sporting larger than life character drawings depicting various careers, highlighting colleges that Assabet students attend, or silhouettes of numerous sporting figures or obvious professionals.
Renovation presents options; Assabet students make building their canvas
Through her kin's clothes, Cruz was able to establish a deeper connection with her family, as they became a conversation piece between her and her relatives, resulting in nostalgic stories translated through sculptures, photographs, and paintings.
Playing with dolls
Allow it to be a good conversation piece. We can learn and not feel threatened in the process."--Kathy Goldstein
Our December issue asked three directors about the racial undertones of Nutcracker's Act II
At any one time you could have red flowers blooming alongside white heads with bi-colours in between - a real conversation piece!
Offer
Gone are the days of food just being a functional element, the new innovative concepts mean food is becoming a conversation piece that adds excitement and entertainment to the dining experience.
ICC multi-sensory food concept
Providing warmth and light united in a stunning conversation piece design feature, the gas-powered fire cage is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
Light my fire
Finally, the "conversation piece," she explains, is a family group portrait displaying interrelations among its members through a carefully composed visual narrative, "the icon of a new ideology of the family" (36).
Shepherd, Lynn. Clarissa's Painter: Portraiture, Illustration, and Representation in the Novels of Samuel Richardson