TELLTALES

Noun

telltales

plural of telltale

Source: Wiktionary


TELLTALE

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



RESET




Word of the Day

24 February 2025

ANOMALY

(noun) (astronomy) position of a planet as defined by its angular distance from its perihelion (as observed from the sun)


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

In 1511, leaders in Mecca believed coffee stimulated radical thinking and outlawed the drink. In 1524, the leaders overturned that order, and people could drink coffee again.

coffee icon