chat without food or drink
Only when written 素話
A social gathering where people talk without any refreshments; the focus is purely on conversation.
rakugo without musical accompaniment
In the context of rakugo (traditional comic storytelling), a performance done without shamisen or other musical background, relying solely on the storyteller's voice and gestures.
Let's get together for a chat without food or drink today. No tea, but we can focus on talking.
His rakugo without musical accompaniment is funny enough even without a shamisen.
茶話 (sawa) is a chat over tea, whereas 素話 (subanashi) explicitly excludes food and drink.
落語 (rakugo) is the general term for traditional comic storytelling; 素話 (subanashi) specifies a performance without musical accompaniment.
Standard kanji spelling for both senses; 素 here means 'plain' or 'without accompaniment'.
Rare variant using 咄, an older character for 'story' or 'talk'.
Rare variant using 噺, a character often associated with rakugo or storytelling.
Compound of 素 (su, 'plain, unadorned') and 話 (hanashi, 'talk, story'), with rendaku voicing to ばなし. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word literally means 'plain talk' or 'story without extras'.