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

• telltalely adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of telltale¹

First recorded in 1540–50; tell ¹ + tale

Example Sentences

Exposure to the acid causes serious neurological issues in sea lions, including seizures, disorientation and a telltale head-tilting behaviour known as "stargazing."

From BBC

Other vehicles lay abandoned, their windshields adorned with the telltale spider webs of bullet holes.

From Los Angeles Times

In July, El Sobrante staff told the local air district the landfill had experienced a rise in highly flammable hydrogen gas and lung-aggravating dimethyl sulfide emissions — both telltale signs of abnormal temperatures inside the landfill.

From Los Angeles Times

Hubble worked hard, taking images of spiral nebulae every clear night and looking for the telltale variations of Cepheid variables.

From Salon

Beneath the surface of this country’s seeming strength, we could already see the telltale signs of decline that had led to the collapse of those earlier empires.

From Salon