Telltale

6 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Tattler \Tat"tler\, n.
     1. One who tattles; an idle talker; one who tells tales.
        --Jer. Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) Any one of several species of large, long-legged


        sandpipers belonging to the genus {Totanus}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The common American species are the greater tattler, or
           telltale ({Totanus melanoleucus}), the smaller tattler,
           or lesser yellowlegs ({Totanus flavipes}), the solitary
           tattler ({Totanus solitarius}), and the semipalmated
           tattler, or willet. The first two are called also
           {telltale}, {telltale spine}, {telltale tattler},
           {yellowlegs}, {yellowshanks}, and {yelper.}
           [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Telltale \Tell"tale`\, a.
     Telling tales; babbling. "The telltale heart." --Poe.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Telltale \Tell"tale`\, n.
     1. One who officiously communicates information of the
        private concerns of others; one who tells that which
        prudence should suppress.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
            [1913 Webster]
  
     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.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. (Zool.) The tattler. See {Tattler}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. A thing that serves to disclose something or give
        information; a hint or indication.
  
              It supplies many useful links and telltales.
                                                    --Saintsbury.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
  
     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.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Yellowlegs \Yel"low*legs`\, n. (Zool.)
     Any one of several species of long-legged sandpipers of the
     genus {Totanus}, in which the legs are bright yellow; --
     called also {stone snipe}, {tattler}, {telltale},
     {yellowshanks}; and {yellowshins}. See {Tattler}, 2.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  telltale
       adj : disclosing unintentionally; "a telling smile"; "a telltale
             panel of lights"; "a telltale patch of oil on the water
             marked where the boat went down" [syn: {revealing}, {telling},
              {telltale(a)}]
       n : someone who gossips indiscreetly [syn: {tattletale}, {tattler},
            {taleteller}, {talebearer}, {blabbermouth}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  98 Moby Thesaurus words for "telltale":
     a tale-bearing animal, babbling, betrayal, betrayer, blab, blabber,
     blabberer, blabbering, blabbermouth, blabbing, broad hint,
     busybody, catchword, clack, clue, communication leak, cue,
     cue word, dead giveaway, delator, divulgation, divulgement,
     divulgence, divulging, evidence, evulgation, fink, gentle hint,
     gesture, giveaway, glimmer, glimmering, gossip, gossip columnist,
     gossiper, gossipmonger, hint, hot lead, implication, index,
     indication, indiscretion, informer, inkling, innuendo, insinuation,
     intimation, key, key word, kick, lead, leak, letting out, look,
     narc, newsmonger, newspaperman, nod, notion, nudge, obvious clue,
     peacher, prompt, quidnunc, reporter, rumormonger, scandalmonger,
     scent, sign, signal, snitch, snitcher, spoor, spy, squealer,
     stool pigeon, stoolie, suggestion, suspicion, symptom, tabby,
     talebearer, taleteller, tattler, tattletale, telltale sign,
     tip-off, tittle-tattler, trace, track, unwitting disclosure,
     vestige, whiff, whisper, whistle-blower, wind, wink, yenta