Link Centre Dictionary

telltale

tell·tale

UK/ˈtɛlteɪl/ US/ˈtɛˌlteɪl/ uncommon
adjective (1) noun (1)

adjective

1.

disclosing unintentionally

  • “a telling smile”
  • “a telltale panel of lights”
  • “a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down”
Synonyms
Similar

noun

1.

Origin

From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”).

Phrases

  • tell tales
  • telltale tit

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.