telltale Meaning, Definition & Usage
-
noun someone who gossips indiscreetly
blabbermouth; tattler; taleteller; tattletale; talebearer.
-
adjective satellite disclosing unintentionally
revealing; telling.
- a telling smile
- a telltale panel of lights
- a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down
WordNet
Tell"tale` adjective
Definitions
Telling tales; babbling. "The telltale heart." Poe.
Tell"tale` noun
Definitions
-
One who officiously communicates information of the private concerns of others; one who tells that which prudence should suppress. -
(Mus.) A movable piece of ivory, lead, or other material, connected with the bellows of an organ, that gives notice, by its position, when the wind is exhausted. -
(Naut.) (a) A mechanical attachment to the steering wheel, which, in the absence of a tiller, shows the position of the helm. (b) A compass in the cabin of a vessel, usually placed where the captain can see it at all hours, and thus inform himself of the vessel's course. -
(Mach.) A machine or contrivance for indicating or recording something, particularly for keeping a check upon employees, as factory hands, watchmen, drivers, check takers, and the like, by revealing to their employers what they have done or omitted. -
(Zoöl.) The tattler. See Tattler .
