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Telltale   /tˈɛltˌeɪl/   Listen
noun
Telltale  n.  
1.
One who officiously communicates information of the private concerns of others; one who tells that which prudence should suppress.
2.
(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.
3.
(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.
4.
(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.
5.
(Zool.) The tattler. See Tattler.
6.
A thing that serves to disclose something or give information; a hint or indication. "It supplies many useful links and telltales."
7.
(Railroads) An arrangement consisting of long strips, as of rope, wire, or leather, hanging from a bar over railroad tracks, in such a position as to warn freight brakemen of their approach to a low overhead bridge.


adjective
Telltale  adj.  Telling tales; babbling. "The telltale heart."





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Telltale" Quotes from Famous Books



... the wide, old boards of the floor gave a telltale snap. It was behind him, and so loud that it shattered his vision of Big Tom and the pudding bowl. Some one was in the room! Father Pat? ...
— The Rich Little Poor Boy • Eleanor Gates
... not sight that gave me the first clue. There came a purring from the lake; and when I had searched for a minute for the source of it I saw the glow we had watched from the dhow in the storm the first night out—the telltale crimson stain on the dark that rides above a steamer's funnel, and at intervals a stream of sparks to prove they were burning wood and ...
— The Ivory Trail • Talbot Mundy
... on." Then, after a pause, she continued, "I found your note, Lizzie, and I am sorry that I have such a telltale face; but I am unhappy, Lizzie; yes, I am miserable, and I cannot conceal it. I would not obtrude my sorrow upon others, but it is my face and not ...
— Leah Mordecai • Mrs. Belle Kendrick Abbott
... his conscience. He had tried to compromise with his conscience, as it appeared, by enclosing a sum of money in an envelope and addressing it to the father of the child he had run down. But his death had prevented the mailing of this. The telltale finger of accusation was pointed at him from the newspaper which was ...
— Tom Slade's Double Dare • Percy Keese Fitzhugh
... than the enchilladas of Margarita? I could love him for his rages! When the Blessed Mary sends me a lover—" She looked over her shoulder and sighed romantically, hiding the laughter in her eyes and the telltale twist of her lips as best she could, with lashes ...
— The Gringos • B. M. Bower


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