telltale
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telltale
- /ˈtɛlteɪl/
Where it comes from
From tell + tale, perhaps dissimilated from earlier taleteller, from Middle English tale tellere (literally “tale teller”).
noun telltales · tell-tale · tell tale
-
One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
Your husband is at hand; I heare his Trumpet, / We are not tell-tales, Madam; feare you not.
Similar: blabbermouth, gossip, rumormonger, squealer, talebearer, tattletale, carrytale, blab, blabtale, blabtongue, busybody, buzzer
- An indicator, such as a warning light, that serves to warn of a hazard or problem. A railroad company, which has properly erected a “telltale,” or signal board, to give warning of the approach of a train to a bridge and which lights the place at night by an electric light, is not responsible for injury caused at night by the “telltale” to a brakeman who had been passing under it a
- Something that serves to reveal something else. The telltale was the lipstick on his shirt collar.
- A movable piece of ivory, lead, or other material, connected to the bellows of an organ, whose position indicates when the wind is exhausted.
- 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. The sailmakers mistake can be an excellent way to lose a race as the telltale signals were disturbed and confusing.
- 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.
- A machine or contrivance for indicating or recording something, particularly for keeping a check upon employees (factory hands, watchmen, drivers, etc.) by revealing to their employers what they have done or omitted.
- A bird, the tattler.
- A story or fable that has a moral or message. "Metamorphoses . . ." is the title of a book of telltales (or serialised fables) written by Lucius Apulei¡us, a neo-platonist priest in the second century A.D.
adjective more telltale · most telltale · tell-tale · tell tale
- Revealing something, especially something not intended to be known. I noticed the snow was dirty, a telltale sign of recent human presence.
Translations
Every language
noun one who divulges private information
| Português | fofoqueiro |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Petzer, Petze, Petzerin |
| Română | limbut, denunțător, guraliv |
| Русский | болту́н boltún, спле́тник splétnik, я́беда jábeda, доносчик donosčik |
noun something that serves to reveal
| Español | delator, delatador |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Anzeige, Hinweis, Indikator |
| Русский | намёк namjók, улика ulika |
noun nautical: yarn that indicates relative direction of airflow
| Español | grímpola, cataviento |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Fadensonde |
| Italiano | mostravento |
noun engineering: contrivance for indicating or recording something
| Deutsch | Kontrolleinrichtung |
|---|---|
| Русский | индика́тор indikátor, указа́тель ukazátelʹ |
adj revealing something
| Español | delator, delatador |
|---|---|
| Português | delator |
| Français | révélateur, révélatrice |
| Deutsch | verräterisch, enthüllend |
| Italiano | rivelatore, rivelatrice |
| Русский | обличительный obličitelʹnyj, выдающий vydajuščij, свидетельствующий svidetelʹstvujuščij, предательский predatelʹskij |
Talk about this word "telltale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/telltale. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. telltale. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/telltale "telltale." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/telltale.Cite this
@misc{telltale_2026,
title = {telltale},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/telltale},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
