talk big—(coll.) speak boastfully (also: talk large):
- “I hate to talk big,” I said, “but I’m not afraid of Steelgrave or a dozen like him in one package.”
talk small —(also: talk small talk) make conversation about unimportant things:
- We talked small for awhile, avoiding the obvious topic at the fore of each of our minds.
Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase sing small—(coll.) adopt a humble tone or manner; use less assertive language:
- Germans in Samoa. Their position was painful; they had talked big in the old days, now they had to sing small.