telltale

[ tel-teyl ]

/ ˈtɛlˌteɪl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR telltale ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who heedlessly or maliciously reveals private or confidential matters; tattler; talebearer.

a thing serving to reveal or disclose something.

any of various indicating or registering devices, as a time clock.

Music. a gauge on an organ for indicating the air pressure.

an indicator showing the position of a ship's rudder.

a row of strips hung over a track to warn train crew members on freight trains that a low bridge, tunnel, or the like is approaching.

Yachting. (on a sailboat) a feather, string, or similar device, often attached to the port and starboard shrouds and to the backstay, to indicate the relative direction of the wind.

Squash. a narrow piece of metal across the front wall of a court, parallel to and extending 17 inches (43.2 cm) above the base: a ball striking this is an out.

adjective

that reveals or betrays what is not intended to be known: a telltale blush.

giving notice or warning of something, as a mechanical device.

Nearby words

Origin of telltale

First recorded in 1540–50; tell¹ + tale

Related formstell·tale·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for telltale

But these choices are where Iron from Ice (and other Telltale properties) sets itself apart.
‘Game of Thrones’ Interactive FanFiction: Whoops, My Friend Was Speared in the Throat|Alec Kubas-Meyer|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Telltale can give the real Game of Thrones experience, but one that you can influence.
‘Game of Thrones’ Interactive FanFiction: Whoops, My Friend Was Speared in the Throat|Alec Kubas-Meyer|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Broken twigs, trails to nowhere, and mini-debris landslides, despite the drought, were all telltale signs of heavy use.
The Foraging Wars: Extreme Eating Hits California|Debra A. Klein|January 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
These changes in heart rate are usually a telltale sign of infection.
Big Data’s Powerful Effect on Tiny Babies|CNBC|September 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

It can cause pneumonia and encephalitis, as well as the telltale rash and “measly” feeling of those who are ill.
A Maddening Case of the Measles in Orthodox Jewish Brooklyn|Kent Sepkowitz|June 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In every direction they searched again and again for telltale columns of smoke, but saw nothing.
The Young Wireless Operator--As a Fire Patrol|Lewis E. Theiss
At this point, the wide, old boards of the floor gave a telltale snap.
The Rich Little Poor Boy|Eleanor Gates
His companion's eyes happened to fall upon the telltale mark.
The Mucker|Edgar Rice Burroughs
His arrows send no telltale reverberations to the distant clearing.
The Grandissimes|George Washington Cable
Hardly was her pocket clear of the telltale stuff when her aunt appeared before her.
While Caroline Was Growing|Josephine Daskam Bacon

British Dictionary definitions for telltale

telltale

/ (ˈtɛlˌteɪl) /

noun

a person who tells tales about others

an outward indication of something concealed
(as modifier)a telltale paw mark

any of various indicators or recording devices used to monitor a process, machine, etc

nautical

another word for dogvane
one of a pair of light vanes mounted on the main shrouds of a sailing boat to indicate the apparent direction of the wind

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

Word Origin and History for telltale

telltale

1540s (n.), 1590s (adj.), from tell + tale, in phrase to tell a tale "relate a false or exaggerated story" (late 13c.).

telltale

noun

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of telltale

Examples from the Web for telltale

telltale

noun

telltale