show and tell

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.

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of show and tell¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Idioms and Phrases

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.