Dictionary entries for 'telltale'

Synonyms

tell·tale (tĕĺtāĺ)

noun

One who informs on another; a talebearer.
Something that indicates or reveals information; a sign.
Any of various devices that indicate or register information, especially:
1. A time clock.
2. Nautical One of the brightly colored lengths of yarn or ribbon attached to the shrouds, stays, or sails of a sailboat, serving to indicate wind direction relative to the boat's motion.
3. A row of strips hung above a railroad track to warn a passing train of low clearance ahead.
Sports A resonant metal strip, 24 or 30 inches (61 or 76 centimeters) high, across the bottom of the front wall of a racquets or squash court above which the ball must be hit.