TELLTALE
revealing, telling, telltale
(adjective) disclosing unintentionally something concealed; “a telling smile”; “a telltale panel of lights”; “a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down”
tattletale, tattler, taleteller, talebearer, telltale, blabbermouth
(noun) someone who gossips indiscreetly
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
telltale (plural telltales)
One who divulges private information with intent to hurt others.
Synonyms: blabbermouth, gossip, rumormonger, talebearer, Thesaurus:gossiper
(chiefly, US, slang) Tattletale; squealer.
(figuratively) Something that serves to reveal something else.
(music) A movable piece of ivory, lead, or other material, connected to the bellows of an organ, whose position indicates when the wind is exhausted.
(nautical) A length of yarn or ribbon attached to a sail or shroud etc to indicate the direction of the flow of the air relative to the boat.
(nautical) A mechanical attachment to the steering wheel, which, in the absence of a tiller, shows the position of the helm.
(nautical) 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.
(engineering) A machine or contrivance for indicating or recording something, particularly for keeping a check upon employees (factory hands, watchmen, drivers, etc.) by revealing to their employers what they have done or omitted.
A bird, the tattler.
Adjective
telltale (comparative more telltale, superlative most telltale)
Revealing something, especially something not intended to be known.
Source: Wiktionary
Tell"tale`, a.
Definition: Telling tales; babbling. "The telltale heart." Poe.
Tell"tale`, n.
1. One who officiously communicates information of the private concerns of others; one who tells that which prudence should suppress.
2. (Mus.)
Definition: 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.)
Definition: 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. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The tattler. See Tattler.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
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