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
Pickled tea leaf salad is brought to the table.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 13, 2019
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
"Why undah the sun have you saved this tea leaf?" asked Lloyd, pointing to one pasted carefully in the corner of the next page.
From The Little Colonel's Christmas Vacation by Barry, Etheldred B. (Etheldred Breeze)
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.
