tea leaf

noun

the dried leaf of the tea shrub, used to make tea

(usually plural) shredded parts of these leaves, esp after infusion

British and Australian slang a thief

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Word Origin for tea leaf

sense 3 rhyming slang

Words nearby tea leaf

teakettle, teakwood, teal, tea lady, tea lead, tea leaf, tea-length, Teale's amputation, tea light, team, tea maker

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example sentences from the Web for tea leaf

This contest is already being used as a proxy for the November general election, with tea-leaf reading being in ample supply.
Scott Walker Won Because He Took Action Against Soaring Pension Costs|Zachary Karabell|June 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The only problem with all the tea-leaf reading that next Tuesday will bring is that it will be meaningless.
Why the Democrats Should Lose|Peter Beinart|October 30, 2009|DAILY BEAST
The Colonel was coming round; the rest, or the ointment, or the tea-leaf poultice, had been good for snowblindness.
The Magnetic North|Elizabeth Robins (C. E. Raimond)
A good deal of practice is necessary before the tea-leaf symbols can be accurately interpreted at a glance.
Telling Fortunes by Tea Leaves|Cicely Kent

She could not join in the chit-chat which went on under the benevolent influence of the tea-leaf, the great untier of tongues.
When Ghost Meets Ghost|William Frend De Morgan
The leaves are large and do not bear the slightest resemblance to the tea-leaf.
Three Years in Western China|Alexander Hosie
In the proposed United States tea-adulteration law a maximum of 8% of total ash is allowed for tea-leaf.
Legal Chemistry|A. Naquet

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY