telltale

[tel-teyl]

noun

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

2. a thing serving to reveal or disclose something.

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

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

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

6. 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.

7. 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.

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

adjective

1. that reveals or betrays what is not intended to be known.

   a telltale blush.

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

telltale

/ ˈtɛlˌteɪl /

noun

1. a person who tells tales about others

2. 1. an outward indication of something concealed

   2. ( as modifier )

      a telltale paw mark

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

4. nautical

   1. another word for dogvane

   2. one of a pair of light vanes mounted on the main shrouds of a sailing boat to indicate the apparent direction of the wind

Other Word Forms

• telltalely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of telltale¹

First recorded in 1540–50; tell ¹ + tale

Example Sentences

Known for pushing the boundaries of fabrication, Whitten’s telltale as a designer was his distinctive patchwork construction.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

No. Doctors say antidepressants—SSRIs as well as other classes—show none of the telltale signs of addictive substances.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

I also noticed a tray of golden madeleines with their telltale bumps on the counter, and lusciously swirled pavlovas bejeweled with dark berries capping off a meal.

Read more on Salon

This means scientists must measure how plasma shifts toward and away from Earth, producing telltale red and blue patterns on opposite sides of magnetic structures.

Read more on Science Daily

By February the telltale line appeared on the test.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal