show and tell

American  

noun

1. an activity for young children, especially in school, in which each participant produces an object of unusual interest and tells something about it.

2. Facetious. any informative presentation or demonstration, as to introduce a new product or divulge and explain a special plan.

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show and tell Idioms  

1. A public presentation or display, as in It was a terrible bore, what with their show and tell of every last detail about their trip around the world. This expression originated in the 1940s to describe a learning exercise for young children, in which each child in a group brings some object to show the others and talks about it.

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Other Word Forms

• show-and-tell adjective
• show-and-teller noun

Etymology

Origin of show and tell

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

For years, the volume — a 19th-century French treatise on the human soul — was brought out for show and tell, and sometimes, according to library lore, used to haze new employees.

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2024

But I will not allow people to come on my show and tell blatant lies.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2023

"Last year in school, he made a show and tell of going in an ambulance."

From BBC • Dec. 26, 2022

Fathers come up to him after the show and tell him how much they identify with the man he portrays on stage.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 16, 2022

As to the art of pitching, of course, the old man could show and tell, but he could no longer do.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli