tea leaf
Britishnoun
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the dried leaf of the tea shrub, used to make tea
-
(usually plural) shredded parts of these leaves, esp after infusion
-
slang a thief
Etymology
Origin of tea leaf
sense 3 rhyming slang
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He hasn’t talked publicly since the summer trade demand, and tea leaf readers are making a mint trying to decipher clues into how the impasse will be resolved.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 8, 2021
The tea leaf reading on this front is, well, mixed.
From Salon ● Jun. 18, 2021
Still, those in the Oscar tea leaf reading game have concluded that chances are pretty good that Mr. Franco’s name will be on the list when Oscar nominees are revealed next week.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2018
It’s topped off with a Matcha green tea leaf stencil garnish for a refreshing, earthy nose on every sip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2016
The yellow tea leaf circling as it falls; The futile wheeling of the storm-tossed swan; The note of the marble lute at evening by the pool; The immobile cypress seen against the sun.
From The Mirror of Kong Ho by Bramah, Ernest
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
