pray tell

[ prey-tel ]

/ ˈpreɪ ˈtɛl /

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verb phrase

(used to emphasize a request for information, often to suggest that the answer is either obvious or unknowable):You say there is no moon, but what, pray tell, rises in the sky every night?Just what, pray tell, do those people actually do?

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pray tell

First recorded in 1840–45

Words nearby pray tell

prayer rug, prayer shawl, prayer wheel, pray-in, praying mantis, pray tell, prazosin, PRB, PRC, pre-, preach

How to use pray tell in a sentence

As far as I can tell, this magazine spent as much time making fun of French politicians as it did of Muslims or Islam.
Harry Shearer on The Dangerous Business of Satire|Lloyd Grove|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Police, their representatives and supporters tell us, ensure our freedom of speech through our ability to protest.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“Jeffrey wanted me to tell you that you looked so pretty,” the female voice said into my disbelieving ear.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They were going to tell their story, consequences be damned.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

And I tell Ollie, just look at me, because they just pulled out the pistolas.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And to tell the truth, she couldn't help wishing he could see, so he could make the game livelier.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Ages back—let musty geologists tell us how long ago—'twas a lake, larger than the Lake of Geneva.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
Each day she resolved, "To-morrow I will tell Felipe;" and when to-morrow came, she put it off again.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
He wanted to tell her that if she called her father, it would mean the end of everything for them, but he withheld this.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Monsieur,” growls the baron, “stone walls have ears, you say if only they had tongues; what tales these could tell!
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu