| To talk (to go, to run) nineteen to the dozen - to speak (to go, to run) without stopping, to talk endlessly, without end, to pop.
e. g. Suzanne, excited, went on talking nineteen to the dozen (S. Maugham).
I found Ellie sitting in the central lounge and opposite her was a tall blonde young women. In fact Greta. Both of them were talking nineteen to the dozen (A. Christie).
The literal translation of this expression is to say nineteen words instead of twelve for a certain period of time. V. Collins notes that it would be more logical to use instead of “nineteen” some round figure, for example “twenty”. But, perhaps, it is the unexpectedness of the choice and enhances the expressiveness of the expression.
It is interesting to note that in the last issue of Longman's dictionary (1978) this idiomatic expression is noted as “to talk, speak, etc., nineteen / twenty / forty to the dozen”, which emphasizes the speaker's even faster speech.
In modern English, the expression nineteen to the dozen can be found in combination with the verb beat (about the heart).
e. g. Julia, her heart now beating nineteen to the dozen, made an effort to control her voice (S. Maugham).
Julia's heart was beating nineteen to the dozen (Ibid.) – Julia's heart pounded as if it was ready to jump out of her breast. (Translation by M.M. Falkovich).
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