show and tell

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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.

Origin of show and tell

1
First recorded in 1950–55

Other words from show and tell

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

Words Nearby show and tell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use show and tell in a sentence

Other Idioms and Phrases with show and tell

show and tell

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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.