tell tales

Idioms  

1. Divulge secrets, as in Don't trust him; he's apt to tell tales. This expression was first recorded about 1350. A variant, tell tales out of school, first recorded in 1530, presumably alluded to schoolchildren gossiping but was soon broadened to revealing secret or private information. Both may be obsolescent.

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Example Sentences

So he decides to keep appearing in clubs to tell tales of his relationship woes, lacing the commentary with rueful remarks that are vaguely comic, though nothing he says is actually funny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

As was the case with Celsius, a crypto exchange that went bust in 2022, the FTX customer statements tell tales of grievous loss and emotional torment.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2024

It’s a marvelous introduction to his ability to tell tales even as the ground shifts beneath our feet.

From New York Times • Jul. 20, 2022

My siblings and I tell tales of our mother that bring her into the present.

From Washington Post • Jul. 23, 2021

‘The birds and beasts do not tell tales of that sort.’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

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