Lexic.us

Definition of Telltale

1. Adjective. Disclosing unintentionally. "A telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down"

Definition of Telltale

1. a. Telling tales; babbling.

2. n. One who officiously communicates information of the private concerns of others; one who tells that which prudence should suppress.

3. n. A thing that serves to disclose something or give information; a hint or indication.

Definition of Telltale

1. Noun. One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others. ¹

2. Noun. (chiefly US slang) Tattletale; squealer. ¹

3. Noun. Something that serves to reveal something else. ¹

4. Noun. (nautical) A length of yarn or ribbon attached to a sail or shroud etc to indicate the direction of the flow of the air relative to the boat. ¹

5. Adjective. revealing something not intended to be known ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Telltale

1. a tattler [n -S] - See also: tattler

Medical Definition of Telltale

1. Telling tales; babbling. "The telltale heart." 1. One who officiously communicates information of the private concerns of others; one who tells that which prudence should suppress. 2. A movable piece of ivory, lead, or other material, connected with the bellows of an organ, that gives notice, by its position, when the wind is exhausted. 3. A mechanical attachment to the steering wheel, which, in the absence of a tiller, shows the position of the helm. A compass in the cabin of a vessel, usually placed where the captain can see it at all hours, and thus inform himself of the vessel's course. 4. A machine or contrivance for indicating or recording something, particularly for keeping a check upon employees, as factory hands, watchmen, drivers, check takers, and the like, by revealing to their employers what they have done or omitted. 5. The tattler. See Tattler. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Telltale

Literary usage of Telltale

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. "Little Ten-minutes": Or, A Pastor's Talks with His Children by Frank Tappan Bayley (1909)
"I NEVER knew children to like a "telltale." Tattling is poor business. But I am going to give you the story of a telltale that will interest you, I am sure. ..."

2. The Universal Anthology: A Collection of the Best Literature, Ancient by Richard Garnett, Leon Vallée, Alois Brandl (1899)
"THE telltale SCREEN. A CHINESE NOVELETTE. (From the "Kin-ku-ki-kwan," a famous Chinese collection of tales. ..."

3. Pony Tracks by Frederic Remington (1895)
"... her leg broken, and her side eaten into; and there were Bruin's big telltale footprints, rivalling in size a Gladstone bag, as he had made his way down ..."

4. Mrs. Jordan by James Boadan (1800)
"... "Time's a telltale" — Record on "Men of Leisure" — "Ella Rosenberg," by Kenney — The Patentees and Their Rights—Miss Brunton a Countess — Godwin's ..."

5. Report of the Proceedings of the ... Annual Convention of the American (1906)
"28 for example, so that the telltale hole FIG. 28. may be employed, ... As the use of the telltale hole is a disputed practice, its action not being ..."

6. A Treatise on the Law of Personal Injuries: Including Employer's Liability by William Francis Bailey (1912)
"telltale, condition of. 137. Ties, condition of. 138. Side tracks. Rails, condition of. 139. Obstructions upon. Piles of sand. Clinkers. 140. ..."

7. Secret History of the Court of England from the Accession of George the by Anne Hamilton (1901)
"... Affidavit — An Assassin Not Recognised — A Witness Testifies — People Who See in the Dark — telltale Slippers — A Great Villain — Questionable Evidence ..."

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