tellv.

Brit.

/tɛl/, U.S.

/tɛl/

Inflections: Past tense and past participle told

/təʊld/;

Forms: 1. Present stem. Old English tælige (1st singular indicative, rare), Old English tællan (rare), Old English telge (1st singular indicative, rare), Old English tellan, late Old English teallan (in prefixed forms), late Old English teliaþ (plural indicative, rare), early Middle English tælle, early Middle English te (transmission error), early Middle English tellenn ( Ormulum), Middle English teale (west midlands), Middle English tele, Middle English til, Middle English till, Middle English tille, Middle English tollen (perhaps transmission error), Middle English tolþ (3rd singular indicative, perhaps transmission error), Middle English tyll, Middle English–1600s telle, Middle English–1700s tel, Middle English– tell, 1500s tellen (infinitive, archaic); U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage, usually after did) 1800s– tole, 1900s– told; Scottish pre-1700 tel, pre-1700 tele, pre-1700 telle, pre-1700 till, pre-1700 1700s– tell, 1700s–1800s toll, 1800s tall, 1800s teall (Shetland), 1800s– tol (Shetland and Orkney). Scots forms with stem vowel o are apparently inferred from past tense and past participle forms (see sections 2γ. and 3γ. ). U.S. regional forms with stem vowel o are in origin forms of the past tense and past participle (see sections 2γ. and 3γ. , and compare tole v.).eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. ix. 424 Tele nu þa lengu þ[ære] hwile.OE Beowulf (2008) 2067 Þy ic Heaðobear[d]na hyldo ne telge, dryhtsibbe dæl Denum unfæcne, freondscipe fæstne.OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 16 Hwam telle ic þas cneorysse gelice?lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1085 Þeah ic hit lengre telle.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. vii. 253 Ute nu tellan beforan swilcum deman swilce þu wille.a1275 Body & Soul (Trin. Cambr. B.14.39) l. 65 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 128 Bodi..ihc wil tellit te.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10913 Wat þou quat for soth i tell [Gött. talle]?c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 152 Þe v. I telde ȝou þe oþer day, þe oþere v. I schal telle ȝow now.1592 R. Greene Vision sig. B2 Thus to tellen all the truth, He infected Romes youth.a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 343 He's simple, and tels much.1700 T. Southerne Fate of Capua i. iii. 20 But who can tell?1771 J. Finlayson Marches Day (1814) 10 I was tolling them so yesterday's night.1870 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) I. App. 648 It tells somewhat against his interpretation.1888 M. E. M. Davis In War Times at La Rose Blanche 257 ‘Did'n I tole yer, Mis' Lucy’, said Mammy, beaming at mother.1898 Shetland News 12 Nov. Hit wid be tolin da fish curers if dey wid pit dat law in forse noo.1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 136/2 Thoo'll hae a bonny job ti tell em all.1934 Sat. Evening Post 29 Sept. 13 If somebody tole you, hit could be a lie. But if you dremp hit, hit can't be a lie case ain't nobody there to tole hit to you.2008 M. Keyes This Charming Man 38 She was agog to hear and I was agog to tell. 2. Past tense.

α. Old English telede (rare), Old English (in prefixed forms)–early Middle English tælde, Old English–Middle English tealde, early Middle English teald, Middle English teelde, Middle English telld, Middle English tellde, Middle English tellid, Middle English–1500s telde, Middle English–1500s tellyd, Middle English–1500s telt, Middle English–1600s teld, Middle English–1600s telled; English regional 1700s– telt, 1800s telld, 1800s– teld, 1800s– tell'd, 1800s– telled, 1800s– tell't, 1800s– tild (Yorkshire); U.S. regional 1800s telled; Scottish pre-1700 tellit, pre-1700 1700s–1800s tell'd, pre-1700 1700s– telled, pre-1700 1800s– teld, pre-1700 1800s– telt, 1800s– tellt, 1800s– tell't, 1900s– teelt (north-eastern); Irish English (northern) 1900s– telled, 1900s– tellt. eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxvi. 503 Þe ic þe ær tealde on þære þriddan bec.OE Andreas (1932) 1103 Hluton hellcræftum, hæðengildum teledon betwinum.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6579 Þet heo nane manne ne tælden [c1300 Otho tolde]. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds vii. 52 The prophetis..that bifore teelden of the comynge of the iust.1453 A. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 39 Gurney tellyd hym he had byn at London.1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. i. sig. Aa^v Sir Calidore vpcheard, and to her teld All this accord.1686 G. Stuart Joco-serious Disc. 14 Miskenn I tell'd ye.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 34 I telt Bet I wad drive tea it.1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxv, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 509 Mr Scroope tell't Sir Walter.1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. (1998) i. iv. 43 So I telled the Missus stroight, a-did.2006 P. McIntosh Merchant's Mark (2008) viii. 184 I tellt him no to do it.

β. Old English (Anglian)–Middle English talde, Middle English taald, Middle English tald, Middle English tavld, 1900s– tawld (English regional); Scottish pre-1700 tailed, pre-1700 talde, pre-1700 tallid, pre-1700 taulde, pre-1700 taweild, pre-1700 tawlde, pre-1700 1700s–1800s tald, pre-1700 1700s– tauld, pre-1700 1800s tawld, 1800s– taul', 1800s– taul, 1900s– taald (Shetland); Irish English (northern) 1900s– tau'd, 1900s– taud, 1900s– taul', 1900s– tauld. In Middle English chiefly northern in later use.OE Cynewulf Elene 908 Nu cwom elþeodig, þone ic ær on firenum fæstne talde, hafað mec bereafod rihta gehwylces, feohgestreona.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 677 A steores-man ham talde [c1300 Otho tolde].a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 511 Als i tald [Fairf. talde] ar.1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 563 The Cwmyn raid to the king..& tald all this cas.1567 R. Sempill Deeclaratioun Lordis Iust Quarrell (single sheet) Eich of thame his taill in ordoure tauld.1608 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) II. 257 That mirrie sport ȝour lordschipis brother tauld me.1789 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 490 He tald mysel by word o' mouth, He'd tak' my letter.1816 W. Scott Old Mortality xi, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. III. 228 Only he tauld me about it.1925 J. Alexander in Sc. National Dict. (1968) VII. 332/2 [Aberdeenshire] I raiset Broon fin I taul' 'im so-an' so.2005 R. Bean Harvest 80 Titch I tawld the punk.

γ. Middle English tolded, Middle English tolyd, Middle English towld, Middle English–1500s toold, Middle English–1500s toolde, Middle English–1600s tolde, Middle English–1600s toulde, Middle English (in a late copy)–1700s tould, Middle English– told, late Middle English tole (transmission error), 1600s toull, 1600s toulld; English regional 1600s tou'd (Derbyshire), 1700s– towd (northern), 1800s– toould, 1800s– tould, 1800s– towld, 1800s– twould, 1900s– tolt, 1900s– toud; Scottish pre-1700 tolde, pre-1700 tollit, pre-1700 toulde, pre-1700 1700s– told, 1900s– towld; also Irish English 1800s tolth (Wexford), 1800s– toul', 1800s towld, 1800s towlt, 1800s– tould, 1900s– toul, 1900s– towl, 1900s– tul; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form late Middle English tolled; see also tole v.a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 167 Me..tolde him. þet his deore spuse..were..lene & vuele i heowed.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2907 Moyses told hem ðis tidding.a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xliii. l. 225 Ȝit tolded thow it Neuere to non Man.?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman i. ix. sig. K^v What hurte shuld come Cato tolde before.a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iv. 110 She neuer told her loue.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 90 He towd Sammy he wor baun et wed wie his Cusin Ann.1846 ‘J. Treenoodle’ Specimens Cornish Provinc. Dial. 53 And tould us how a giz-daunce was to door.1946 G. Millar Horned Pigeon xxi. 360 She told me that her engagement had been broken.2000 N. Griffiths Grits (2001) 437 Harvey towld me about it first.

3. Past participle.

α. Old English geteald, Old English geteled, Old English giteled (Northumbrian), Old English teled (rare), late Old English (in prefixed forms (not ge-))–early Middle English teald, early Middle English iteald, early Middle English iteld, Middle English teeld, Middle English telld, Middle English tellyd, Middle English tield, Middle English yteld, Middle English–1500s telde, Middle English–1600s teld, Middle English–1600s telled, 1500s–1600s telt; English regional 1700s– telt, 1800s tellen, 1800s– teld, 1800s– tell'd, 1800s– telled, 1800s– tell't, 1800s– tild (Yorkshire); U.S. regional 1900s– telled; Scottish pre-1700 teld, pre-1700 1700s– telled, 1700s– tell'd, 1800s– tell't, 1800s– tellt, 1800s– telt; Irish English 1800s tell't, 1800s telt. eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. vii. 61 Þeh ic ymbe Romana gewin on þæm gearrime forð ofer þæt geteled hæbbe.eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in J. J. Quinn Minor Lat.-Old Eng. Glossaries in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1956) 141 Calcatur [read Calculatur], teled is.OE Homily: Invention of Cross (Auct. F.4.32) in M.-C. Bodden Old Eng. Finding of True Cross 67 Þa þis þam mæran kasere Constantine geteald wæs, þa wearð he swiðe bliðe.c1175 ( in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 54 Ðæs monnes wæcce þe wacæð for his oferfulle, ant for oferdrynce..nis to nane wæcce iteald.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 215 Swo ich iteld habbe.c1330 (?a1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) p. 504 Ich was teld a man of gret pris..& now icham a wroche beggare.a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 169 Crist haþ teeld þat þis hiȝe charite techiþ a man to putte his lyf for love of hise frendis.1560 Bp. J. Pilkington Aggeus the Prophete (1562) 13 The thinge is true which is telled.a1681 J. Lacy Sr. Hercules Buffoon (1684) iii. ii. 23 I's teld that naughty Sluts wear 'em.a1796 R. Burns Katharine Jaffray in Poet. Wks. (1839) III. 181 He's tell'd her father and mother baith, As I hear sindry say, O.1830 W. Scott Heart Mid-Lothian Introd., in Waverley Novels XI. 144 In a' the wee bits o' ways I hae tell't ye.1997 A. Warner These Demented Lands 158 I shouldn'ty of telt you where it is.

β. Old English getald (Anglian), Old English (Anglian, rare)–Middle English tald, early Middle English italt, Middle English itald, Middle English taald, Middle English talde, Middle English taulde, Middle English ytald, 2000s– tawld (English regional); Scottish pre-1700 talde, pre-1700 tallde, pre-1700 taulde, pre-1700 taull, pre-1700 tawd, pre-1700 1700s– tald, pre-1700 1700s– tauld, pre-1700 1800s tawld, 1800s– taul, 1900s– taald (Shetland); Irish English (northern) 1900s– taud, 1900s– taul', 1900s– tauld. In Middle English chiefly northern in later use.eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xliii. 23 Aestimati sumus ut oues occisionis : getalde we sind swe swe scep ofslegenisse.eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxiv. 336 Rome..þæt in þa tid wæs micles mægenes tald & gelefed.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11477 Þat nas na cniht wel itald [c1300 Otho itold].a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8765 Þis tre i haf of forwit taald.1488 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 79 Tauld in presens of the Chancellare.1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 185 As I haue tauld in tymes past.1603 Philotus cxxii. sig. E2^v I conjure the..to tarie, Quhill thow the treuth haue taull.1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd iii. ii Do you get them tald you in your sleep?1816 W. Scott Old Mortality ix, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 181 I wadna hae tauld ye.1900 C. Murray Hamewith 85 I've taul ye aft eneuch.2005 S. Elmes Talking for Brit. ix. 229 Ah've always been tawld I'm ‘caggy-'anded’.

γ. Middle English itold, Middle English itolde, Middle English jtolde, Middle English ytold, Middle English ytolde, Middle English ytolte, Middle English ytoold, Middle English–1500s toold, Middle English–1500s toolde, Middle English–1600s tolde, Middle English–1700s tould, Middle English– told, 1500s tollyd, 1500s towld, 1500s–1600s toulde; English regional 1800s– toad (Essex), 1800s– tohd (Lincolnshire), 1800s– towd, 1800s– towld, 1900s– twold (Dorset); Scottish pre-1700 tolde, pre-1700 tolled, pre-1700 toulde, pre-1700 1700s– told, 1900s– towld; also Irish English 1800s tould, 1800s twold, 1800s– toul', 1900s– towl, 1900s– tul; see also tole v.c1225 (?OE) Soul's Addr. to Body (Worcester) (Fragm. B) l. 6 Hwar beoþ nu þeo pundes þurh [pa]newes igædered? (Heo weren monifolde bi markes itolde.)a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 558 Ilk der..foleȝeð him..For ðe swetnesse ðe Ic ȝu haue told. ▸ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 149 Rehersed how it was i-tolde.c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 37 Theise .iij. þat y haue of toold.a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 15 A tale tollyd among deffe men.1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 299 Gently hast thou tould Thy message.1722 W. Bromley Let. to J. Grahme 6 May in J. Bagot Col. J. Grahme (1886) 32 (modernized text) I am told that others have shown very indecent joy.1821 Life D. Haggart 118 By jappers, we were tould he was the boy.1998 Balloons & Airships July 5/1 Has Robin told you about the gas balloon flight?

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian tella to count, declare (Frisian telle ), Old Dutch tellen to say, speak, declare, count (Middle Dutch tellen to count, to reckon, consider, relate, say, Dutch tellen to relate, speak, say, reckon, consider, count), Old Saxon tellian to say, relate, reckon, consider, count (Middle Low German tellen to count, count out, pay, reckon), Old High German zellen to reckon, relate, count (Middle High German zeln , zelen , zellen to count, reckon, consider, explain, German zählen to reckon, count), Old Icelandic telja to relate, say, speak, count, Old Swedish tälia to count, reckon, consider, take into account, relate, say, speak (Swedish tälja ), Old Danish tælie , tælle to count, pay, say, relate, declare (Danish tælle to count, number, reckon) < the same Germanic base as tale n. and tale v. Form history. In Old English a weak verb of Class I of the same type as e.g. dwell v., quell v.¹, sell v.; occasional weak Class II forms of the present stem perhaps result from the influence of the cognate verb talian tale v. The regular Old English past tense and past participle forms show no i-mutation of the stem vowel because of early syncope of the suffix (West Saxon tealde , geteald , with breaking of æ ; compare Anglian past tense talde , getald , with retraction); however, occasional forms with i-mutation of the stem vowel are attested, especially in Anglian and sources showing Anglian influence: past tense telede , past participle geteled . Past tense and past participle forms in -a- (see Forms 2β. , 3β. ) show the Old English (Anglian) past tense talde and past participle getald . Past tense and past participle forms in -o- (including the modern standard form told : see Forms 2γ. , 3γ. ) reflect Middle English (southern) tōld , with long open ō from earlier lengthened ā (before a homorganic consonant group). The Middle English past participle form tolded at Forms 3γ. shows double morphological marking (compare -ed suffix¹). Middle English and later past tense and past participle forms in -e- (see Forms 2α. , 3α. ) are of various origins. Those attested in texts of northern provenance may show continuation of the Old English (chiefly Anglian) past tense telede and past participle geteled , with i-mutation: this would appear consistent with the modern regional distribution of the past tense and past participle forms tellt , telled , noted by Eng. Dial. Dict. from the east midlands, East Anglia, the north of England, and Scotland. In Middle English sources with more southern provenance, such spellings may rather reflect the continuation of West Saxon and Kentish past tense and past participle forms in -ea- . However, forms of the type telled , tellt may partly show analogical re-formation from the present stem and -ed suffix¹ (see discussion at that entry and compare the modern past tense and past participle forms of e.g. smell v., spell v.², etc.); compare also the 19th-cent. regional past participle tellen at Forms 3α. , apparently showing similar re-formation from the strong past participle ending -en suffix⁶. For further discussion of these forms, see L. Anderwald Morphol. Eng. Dial. (1996) 74–7. Specific senses. In Old English, use in branch III. is very frequent (and is also attested in further senses, e.g. ‘to think, suppose, believe, to impute, ascribe, assign’), whereas use in branch I. is comparatively rare (also as compared with partly synonymous say v.¹, queath v.) and only becomes more frequent towards the end of the period. With use in sense ‘to express’ (see sense 6) compare slightly earlier use of atell v. in this sense. Prefixed forms. In Old English the prefixed form getellan i-telle v. is also attested; compare also atellan atell v., betellan betell v., tōtellan to distinguish (compare to- prefix²).

I. To mention, narrate, relate, make known, communicate, declare, and related senses.

†1. transitive. To mention or name (a series of things) one after another in order; to enumerate; to give a list of, to list. Also with double object: to enumerate or list to (a person). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > record > list > [verb (transitive)]

telleOE

reckonc1175

titlea1325

reckonc1400

entitlec1430

recitea1475

recount1481

perusea1535

capitulate1566

recense1583

catalogue1598

item1601

renumerate1605

list1614

enumeratea1649

recenseate1657

cataloguize1820

to run down ——1833

reel1835

to call off1846

itemize1864

enumer1936

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > as a series

rimeeOE

telleOE

number?a1425

minutea1770

eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxvi. 503 Do ðæs lean to ðæm forsprecenan goodum þe ic þe ær tealde on þære þriddan bec.

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 250 Þa nolde he hine gebiddan ac herian, tealde his godan dæda, swilce god hi nyste.

c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 41 Þa tealde þe godspellere Lucas from Criste sylfum upweard to Adame alle þa fæderæs æfre, from men to oðrum.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 9 Feole oðre godere werke þe nu were long eou to telle.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 497 Ic wile rigt tellen, if ic can, Adam, seth, enos, caynan, Malaleel, iareth, enoch.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 24 Alle þise guodes of kende þet ich habbe ssortliche y-tald.

a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) 12626 Ȝow to wyþholde Fro þe synnes þat byfore are tolde.

c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 152 Out of euyll tunge springeth x. braunchys. Þe v. I telde ȝou þe oþer day, þe oþere v. I schal telle ȝow now.

a. transitive. To narrate, relate in order. With simple object (now rare in sense 2a(a)) or object clause. Also with double object: to give (a person) an account of.

(a) Of a person, report, text, legend, etc.: to give an account or narrative of (facts, actions, or events); to describe in order. In early use occasionally with non-referential it as subject with the sense ‘it is told or narrated’.Frequently in parenthetical as clause with the story or legend as notional subject.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > narration > narrate, relate, or tell [verb (transitive)]

singc900

reckonOE

readOE

tellOE

showc1175

betellc1275

i-tellec1275

rehearsec1300

record1340

accounta1387

to chase forthc1386

retretec1400

reporta1402

count?a1425

recite1448

touch?a1450

repeat1451

deliverc1454

explikec1454

renderc1460

recount1477

to show forth1498

relate1530

to set forth1530

rechec1540

reaccount1561

recitate1568

history1600

recant1603

to run througha1616

enarrate1750

narrate1754

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > tell (story) [verb (transitive)]

sayeOE

tellOE

nevena1375

narrate1656

OE Homily: Invention of Cross (Auct. F.4.32) in M.-C. Bodden Old Eng. Finding of True Cross 67 Þa coman hio hrædlice to ðam mæran kasere..and tealdon him þa þrowunga þe ure hælend on þære rode ðrowode.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) 295 Þah ich þe talde al dei ne mahte ich þe tellen þe wundres.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 242 Vre lauerd weop as þe godspel telleð.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7198 Þo gan he to tellen þis [sc. his vision].

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 5943 As it telleth in the tale, The ferst into a nyhtingale Was schape.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 1330 He..told him all þat he had sene.

c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 16593 (MED) Þe bybyll tellys to vs þis man..was named Mardochius.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 82 Hit tellith aftir in the Sankgreall that sir Percivall his syster holpe that lady with hir blood, whereof she was dede.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xv. 12 Barnabas and Paul..tolde what signes and wondres God had shewed.

1532 J. Fisher Two Fruytfull Serm. ii. sig. E.2^v Scrypture tellyth how that the fyrst man Adam was put into a place all of pleasure, named paradyse.

1593 M. Drayton Idea viii. sig. J2^v He had as antique stories tell, A daughter cleaped Dowsabell.

1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. iii. sig. O2^v To tell the glorie of the feast..The goodly seruice, the deuicefull sights..Were worke fit for an Herauld.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 307 Others of some note, As story tells, have trod this Wilderness.

1674 Govt. Tongue ix. §6. 160 With what gust and sensuality will they tell how such a Jest of theirs took, or such a Magnificence was admired?

1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. vi. 163 A country mouse, as authors tell, Of old invited to his cell A city mouse.

1779 Mirror No. 23. ⁋5 These [actions] were told to his honour.

1789 T. Campbell Strictures on Eccl. & Lit. Hist. Irel. ix. 181 This Con, son of Dargo,..came from beyond sea, as his tale tells.

1833 C. F. Crusé tr. Eusebius Eccl. Hist. (ed. 2) vii. xi. 289 After these..he proceeds to tell what happened to him.

1840 J. Wills Lives Illustrious & Distinguished Irishmen II. i. 189 These events have been told already in the political series of the period.

1899 Westm. Gaz. 24 Apr. 10/1 To hear the old gentleman tell how he had actually snowballed Keats.

1915 W. Cather Song of Lark ii. x. 231 They talked to her..and told her how their mother had once punned upon their name.

1954 J. Corbett Temple Tiger 3 After a long silence Bala Singh said: ‘Very well, Sahib, I will tell you what happened.’

2006 Ireland's Own Feb. 3/3 An old legend tells that the army of Brian Boru carried a flag which they called St Patrick's Cross and it brought them victory at Clontarf.

(b) With the narrative, etc., as object. Now esp. with tale (see also Phrases 1) or story.In early use also in legal contexts: to state (a case).

ΚΠ

OE Royal Charter: William I to Archbishops, Bishops, & Others, supporting Rights of Abbot Baldwin in D. C. Douglas Feudal Documents Abbey Bury St. Edmunds (1932) 53 Se abbod Baldwine tealde þa his tala þærtogeanes ærest hu Cnut Kincg draf ut þa preostas.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 122 Meschal..þeose storien tellen eft ou. for ha weren to longe to writen ham here.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13245 Marcel far to helle, & tel heom þer spelles.

a1300 Passion our Lord 1 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 37 Ihereþ nv one lutele tale, þat ich eu wille telle.

c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 705 Mo than a thousand stories..Koude I now telle as touchyng this matere.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1611 Tell yow þi Neces cas quod Deiphebus.

a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 19 (MED) Þou art called to suffre & to labore, not to be idel & telle tales.

c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 49 I thynk it best that euyrie ane of vs tel ane gude tayl or fabil to pas the tyme quhil euyn... Than the eldest scheiphird began and al the laif follouit ane be ane in ther auen place.

1576 G. Gascoigne Complaynt of Phylomene in Steele Glas sig. L^v She by whom I meane, To tell this woful Tragedie, Was called Phylomene.

1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Huntington Libr. copy) sig. I2^v He entitles his booke A Supplication to the Diuell, and..tels a storie of the nature of Spirits.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 273 When the tale is told, bid her be iudge.

1606 S. Daniel Queenes Arcadia ii. i. sig. C2 Here haue we sung full many a Rundelay, Told Riddles, and made Nosegayes.

1653 Bp. J. Taylor Ενιαυτος: Course of Serm. xxiv. 321 Some..can hear their friend tell the cursed narrative of his adultery, of his drunkennesse, of his craft and unjust purchases.

1663 S. Tuke Adventures of Five Hours i. 4 Let's tell our Stories, that we soon shall see, Which of us two excells in Misery.

1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia iv. iv. 174 They tell their Tale in Moratty.

1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 219 We pacified him..with telling him the History of William's Dream, and the Consequence of it.

1770 J. Oldham Compositions I. 13 Dull Annalists in Story tell Strange Legends.

1798 J. Ferriar Illustr. Sterne ii. 45 Another of his speakers tells the following story.

1809 W. Combe Schoolmaster's Tour in Poet. Mag. Nov. 199 The Doctor,..Whene'er he got a little Mellow,..Would sing a song, or tell a riddle, Or play a hornpipe on the fiddle.

1840 W. H. Mill Observ. Gospel vi. 114 The experience and history of mankind tells, uniformly, a different story from this.

1896 Argosy Feb. 489/1 Merchants occasionally tell stories of customers..who seem unable to withstand the temptation to purloin small articles of little value when a good opportunity offers itself.

1920 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 28 Nov. in Yours, Plum (1990) i. 14 I forgot to tell you in my last letter the tale of the laughable imbroglio..which has occurred with Jerry Kern.

1929 F. N. Hart Hide in Dark i. 27 It's despicable to tell a murder story with the lights on.

1970 Guardian 10 Sept. 15/2 There's an old fable told in the lands of the Fertile Crescent.

2013 Daily Tel. 6 Feb. 7/2 If you want to avoid journalists doorstepping you, you should stop telling ridiculous stories to the press.

b. intransitive. To give an account, report, or description of. Also with about (also, in Old English, †ymbe umbe prep.).

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eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. vii. 61 Þeh ic ymbe Romana gewin on þæm gearrime forð ofer þæt geteled hæbbe.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 19547 Icc wile tellenn forþ, Off whatt bilammp þa siþþenn.

a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) l. 228 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 173 Ich wulle tellen of helle pin and wernin ow wið herme.

c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. xi. l. 25 He..con tellen of Tobie And þe Twelue Apostles.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4238 Leue we now iacob in þis care. To tell of ioseph and his fare.

c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 164 (MED) Seneca tellis of a philosophur þat hight Pictagoricus.

1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 123 Thai culd tak and tell of mony thing.

1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. v. sig. E3 What art thou, that telst of Nephews kilt?

c1654 E. Waller Panegyric to Ld. Protector xlv Tell of towns stormed, of armies overrun.

1667 S. Woodford Paraphr. Psalms David i. 18 Praise to that God, who care of Sion takes! And all His wonders tell about.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. x. v. 42 ‘How is it possible you should know me?’ answered Sophia. ‘Why that Man that the Gentlewoman spoke of..told about you last Night.’

a1771 T. Gray Imit. Propertius in Wks. (1814) II. 88 Sailors to tell of winds and seas delight.

1812 G. Crabbe Tales ii. 38 He told of bloody fights.

1829 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian vi. (note) in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 251 A near relation of the Author's used to tell of having been stopped by the rioters, and escorted home in the manner described.

1889 S. Hale Mexico viii. 82 The Mayan legends..tell of nothing but wars and conquests, struggles and defeats.

1903 ‘P. Pennington’ Woman Rice Planter (1913) i. 1 You have asked me to tell of my rice-planting experience.

1955 H. Lewis Blackways of Kent iii. 77 One elderly informant told about her sister who was seized in her youth with a state that caused her to turn around and around.

2011 N.Y. Times Mag. 11 Dec. 22/3 Harrison tells of traveling in Siberia.

c. intransitive. With adverbs. Of a tale or story: to have a specified character or quality when told; to come across (well, etc.) when told, esp. aloud; to admit of being told in a particular way.

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the mind > language > speech > narration > narrate or give an account [verb (intransitive)] > be narrated

tell1608

society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (intransitive)] > be related with a particular effect

tell1608

1608 T. Hudson tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Ivdith i. 22 in J. Sylvester Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) Then, fathers chose you warres: for better tels, To lose like Iewes, then winne like infidels.

1689 in J. Sage Case Afflicted Clergy Scotl. (1690) 18 It were far more easy to give the true reasons, for truth tells best, and its this.

1766 T. Neve Animadversions Mr. Phillips's Hist. Cardinal Pole I. 109 The story lying in Mr. Phillips's way, he thought it told well, and did not care to drop it.

1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. vi. iv. 256 I had as lieve the things were false as not, for they tell as well the one way as the other.

1803 F. Asbury Jrnl. 13 June (1821) III. 106 How would it tell to the South, that priests were among the notions of Yankee traffick?

1852 W. L. Alexander Anc. Brit. Church iv. 60 If a story told well, the reader cared little whether it was true or not.

1931 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz. 17 May iv. 5/2 The story tells well, and a lump rises in every patriotic American throat when we hear again the immortal story of [etc.].

2010 D. S. Smith in S. P. Smith Lifting Silence 18 There was just no way around having my father's story be about him. It was my call, I think it tells well, and I hope you agree.

3. To make known (information, facts, ideas, news, etc.), by speech, writing, or other means; to communicate, impart, intimate, state. Frequently with impersonal or personified subject.

a. With double object.In Old English with the recipient of the information, etc., in the dative.

(a) transitive. With the information, etc., expressed by a noun or pronoun, e.g. she told me these things.The passive of this construction is, e.g. these things were told me.

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OE Lambeth Psalter cxviii. 85 Narrauerunt mihi iniqui fabulationes sed non ut lex tua : tealdon uel cyddon me þa unrihtwisan spellunga ac na swa æ þin.

a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 31 Gode tiðinge..us telleð..se[i]nte lucas on þe holie godspelle.

c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) 1188 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 140 He rounede in is wiues ere, and tolde hire al is þouȝt.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4624 I wat þou tells [Gött., Fairf. tellis, Trin. Cambr. tellest] it me for noght.

c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 57 Telle me þe enchesone wherefore I ame to ȝow brouȝt.

c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 1239 (MED) He axede what hyt hyȝt; Þe mayde seyde..‘Syr, Y telle hyt þe: Men clepeþ hyt Yle d'Or.’

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke i. f. lxxiij Thoose thinges..which were tolde the from the lorde.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xxvii. 25 I beleve God that so it shalbe even as it was tolde me.

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 281 This shall be told our louers.

1673 S'too him Bayes 23 I'le tell you one piece of my mind.

1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 8 Oct. (1948) I. 47 I must tell you a great piece of refinement of Harley.

1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. ix. 260 I shall make no other effort to prevent such a measure, than by telling you the consequence you are to expect.

1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. iii. 37 Tell us your mystery of multiplying.

1909 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Avonlea xi. 111 Another day I asked them all to tell me the naughtiest thing they had ever done.

1988 J. Harrison Dalva i. 107 This was told me by a tall, skinny young man in tatered clothes.

1993 Equine Marketer July 14 We'll tell you the pros and cons of each type and style of fence.

2010 New Yorker 6 Dec. 79/1 Tell me the general area where I need to look.

(b) transitive. With the information, etc., expressed by a clause, e.g. she told me how things stood.The passive of this construction is as in sense 3a(c).For use with so see Phrases 3.

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lOE St. Nicholas (Corpus Cambr.) (1997) 92 Ða men him þærrihtes tealden hwæt heo spræc to heom.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 5357 Þou ssalt þi wille abide as ich þe abbe ytold her.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 1786 Sche upon childhode him tolde That Perse hir litel hound is ded.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4843 (MED) Tells me Quat-kin man yur fader be.

c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 203 I teld ȝou þat a schouyl hath iij. partys: a scho, an heued, & an handyl.

?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 90 Reson telleth me that she is not comen hether for me.

1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) xxix. 137 Well than quod she I shall you now tell How the case stondeth.

a1625 (?1572) Trial Duke of Norfolk (BL MS Sloane 1427) f. 71^v Barker brought me a decipher telling me that 40 was for me, & 30 for the Q. of Scottes.

1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 6 Yet Salomon tels us, the poore mans wisdome is despised.

1635 tr. F. Cevoli Occas. Disc. 2 His wisedome tels him the best meanes to conserue it is a preparation for warre.

1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. vii. 1215 Our Saviour himself tells us, that the Father judgeth no man.

1728 R. Bradley Dict. Botanicum Acinus, Mr. Ray tells us, is a Grape, and not the Grape-stone, as some believe.

1740 D. Hume Let. 4 Mar. (1932) I. 37 Tell me what Copy-Money I may reasonably expect for one Edition of a thousand of this Volume.

1780 A. Young Tour Ireland (ed. 2) I. 507 Long experience has told him that the long horned Craven breed of cattle is preferable to any other.

1825 C. Mather Ess. to do Good Pref. 36 Experiment has told us it [sc. gold] may be so dilated, that the hundred thousandth part of a grain may be visible without a microscope.

1833 T. Hook Parson's Daughter I. v. 87 And I say, Charles, tell her we are coming to coffee forthwith.

1838 H. W. Longfellow Psalm of Life in Knickerbocker Sept. 189 Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream!

1898 Daily News 19 Jan. 9/2 She told me that she tight-laced herself to present a good figure in the shop.

1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters v. 39 I just telled Gourlay what I thocht of him.

1943 Triumphs of Engin. 94/1 Official statistics tell us that a tornado blows at 100 miles an hour and exercises a pressure amounting to 50 pounds to the square foot!

1954 J. Corbett Temple Tiger 39 Salaam, Sahib. I have come to tell you that the tiger has killed one of my cows.

2002 Express (Nexis) 9 Oct. (Features) 39 Most bank and building society customers want over-the-counter services, research consistently tells us.

2013 E. Huang Fresh off Boat ix. 139 The waiters and managers need to tell you what's going on in the dining room.

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1450 J. Gresham in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 50 It was tolde me þat my Maister Calthorp hadde writyng fro my lord of York.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xxiii. 7 Then was it tolde Saul that Dauid was come to Cegila.

1625 F. Bacon Apophthegmes §126. 147 It was told him, that the enemie had such volleyes of arrowes, that they did hide the Sunne.

1795 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 125/1 At the house where I was entertained, it was told me, that we should see..the most singular sight in Ireland.

1863 H. M. Waddell Twenty-nine Years in W. Indies & Central Afr. xxx. 583 It has been told us, that all the river gentlemen met on board your ship, last month, and vowed perpetual war with the missionaries.

1964 F. Manfred Scarlet Plume ii. 116 It was told us that you turned over in your mother's belly before you were born.

(d) transitive. With direct speech. See also Phrases 15.

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1740 Extract Rev. John Wesley's Jrnl. Georgia 24 I told him, ‘If Red Men will learn the Good Book, they may know as much as White Men.’

1836 Chinese Repository 4 434 ‘More soon, more better; sendee chop-chop,’ I told him.

1886 T. Frost Reminisc. Country Journalist xxi. 245 ‘It was up-hill work to establish it [sc. a newspaper],’ he told me.

1916 H. Walpole Dark Forest i. v. 135 ‘I can't marry you,’ she told him, ‘because I don't love you.’

1943 G. Greene Ministry of Fear ii. i. 135 ‘Mr Digby,’ she told him, ‘there's a visitor for you.’

2013 K. Clark Down & Outs iv. 33 ‘You're way out, honey,’ he told her.

b. With the information, etc., communicated as object.

(a) transitive. With clause (with or without that), or (less commonly) quoted words, as object; usually with the recipient of the information, etc., implied by the context, e.g. he told where the money was.

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lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1046 Swegen..tealde þet his sciperes woldon wændon fram him buton he þe raðor come.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xv. lii. 754 Fables tellen þat þere byȝonde ben þe Antipodes, men þat hauen here feet aȝens our feet.

a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 169 Crist haþ teeld þat þis hiȝe charite techiþ a man to putte his lyf for love of hise frendis.

c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 16593 (MED) Þe bybyll tellys to vs þis man..was named Mardochius.

?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 6644 (MED) How many ȝere in certayn, I fand na boke þat tellis playn.

1535 D. Lindsay Satyre 1506 Now I will rin, but rest, And tell that all is ready.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xc^v He..tolde to the other playnely that..he would take from him the wardshyp of his nephewe.

1598 E. Ford Parismus xi. 75 One of the outlawes came in, and beganne to tell that there was an host of men in the wood.

1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote ii. xiv. 90 The Story leaves them, to tell who was the Knight of the Glasses and his nosie Squire.

1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin iii. iii. 94 Joceline tells, that St. Patrick did..fast..a whole Lent together.

1739 H. Baker & J. Miller tr. Molière School for Wives i. i, in Molière Wks. III. 125 I knock here only to bid Good-morrow, and tell that I'm come back.

1799 J. Grahame Wallace ii. vi. 33 Tell I am well again, And that I'm gone to another part of the line.

1823 G. Flagg Let. 20 July in Flagg Corr. (1986) 33 Col Kelly whipped him severely to make him confess his sins and tell where the money was &c. &c.

1841 P. Macgregor Genuine Remains of Ossian 146 Why didst thou tell to me That my gallant youth had fallen?

1927 A. C. Parker Indian How Bk. (1931) v. li. 231 Heckewelder goes on to tell that this Indian, because of his dream fast, knew of his former lives.

1975 J. Lees-Milne Diary 13 Dec. in Through Wood & Dale (2001) 69 Poor Diana..telephoned in tears to tell that her old peke had died.

2001 B. W. Perry AppleScript in Nutshell p. xvi This chapter tells where to find these applications and describes their commands and classes.

(b) transitive. With noun or pronoun as object; sometimes with to (also †till) indicating the recipient of the information. E.g. I told my fears (to him).The passive of this construction is, e.g., it was told to him by a friend.

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society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)]

learna1382

tella1382

givec1449

imparta1547

impute1594

reinform1605

reimpart1645

leave1677

volunteer1805

brief1866

to come across with1895

voice1951

society > communication > information > reporting > report [verb (transitive)]

i-telle971

reckOE

tella1382

brevea1400

reportc1450

recount1477

reapport1486

refera1500

renowna1500

relate1530

informa1533

recommend1533

reaccount1561

re-report1599

yielda1616

delatea1639

narrate1656

bulletin1838

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xlii. 3 Telle [L. annuntiet] to vs the Lord thi God the weie, bi whiche wee go.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. l. 2762 Ech his oghne avis Hath told, on that, an other this.

c1400 (?c1280) Old Test. Hist. in F. J. Furnivall Adam Davy's 5 Dreams (1878) 83 (MED) To fool ne to non vncouþ man þi conseil ne telle.

c1475 (a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 300 (MED) Poul telliþ here a rewele þat cristen men shulden holde.

1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid viii. iv. (heading) Evander tellis till Enee but baid, The verray caus.

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI 175b The erle of Warwicke had come to short home, to tel these tidynges.

1611 Bible (King James) Gen. xxiv. 33 I will not eate, vntill I haue tolde mine errand.

1655 L. Carlell Passionate Lover v. i. 67 But I am ashamed to tell my name or quality.

1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. vi. 74 Let's buy a Slave to tell each Voter's Name.

1759 S. Johnson Idler 30 June 201 The studious and ambitious contend..who shall tell their thoughts in the most pleasing manner.

1861 H. A. Jacobs Incidents Life Slave Girl iv. 37 This piece of indecorum was told to his master.

1864 F. G. Tuckerman O Hard Endeavour in Poems 218 Tell Each tone, each look of love, each syllable, With lips that work, with eyes that overwell!

1896 Standard 15 Jan. 7/2 He said much, but told little, at to-day's meeting.

1909 G. W. James Indian Basketry (1972) iii. 22 MacMurray thus writes of the Cosmogony of the Yakimas as it was told to him by one of their great war chiefs.

1925 M. E. Durham in Albania & Albanians (2001) 170 A young friend, Major N, to whom I told my fears.

1998 C. Cornelissen Soft Rain 57 Mother and Aunt Kee told the news to the women in the pen.

c. With the recipient of the information, etc., as object: to inform, apprise, make aware.

(a) transitive. With about, of; e.g. he told us about his research. Also with anaphoric adverb or prepositional phrase, as thus, to that effect, etc. See also to tell a person so at Phrases 3a. Also occasionally: to direct the attention of (a person) to a fault or weakness.

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society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person)

to teach a person a thingc888

meanOE

wiseOE

sayOE

wittera1225

tellc1225

do to witc1275

let witc1275

let seec1330

inform1384

form1399

lerea1400

to wit (a person) to saya1400

learn1425

advertise1431

givec1449

insense?c1450

instruct1489

ascertain1490

let1490

alighta1500

advert1511

signify1523

reform1535

advise1562

partake1565

resolve1568

to do to ware1594

to let into one's knowledge1596

intellect1599

possess1600

acquainta1616

alighten1615

recommenda1616

intelligence1637

apprise1694

appraise1706

introduce1741

avail1785

prime1791

document1807

to put up1811

to put a person au fait of1828

post1847

to keep (someone) straight1862

monish1866

to put next to1896

to put (one) wise (to)1896

voice1898

in the picture1900

to give (someone) a line on1903

to wise up1905

drum1908

hip1932

to fill (someone) in on1945

clue1948

background1961

to mark a person's card1961

to loop in1994

c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Bodl.) (1934) 38 (MED) Ant hwerto schulde ich telle þe..of ure cunde & ure cun.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6461 Ic þe wulle tællen [c1300 Otho telle]. of uncuðe spællen.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3510 Me tolde him of a gret duc þat het theldryk.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11393 Vs telles alsua iohn..Of a folk ferr and first vncuth.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 808 Allas what wykked spirit told hym þus.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) i. l. 263 He tald his modyr of his sodane cas.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 55^v Menelay..was told Of the rape vnrightwis of his Riche qwene.

1574 J. Baret Aluearie T 90 He shewed me, or tolde me of my fault.

1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xii. 15 I shall heartily thank you,..if you tell me of my weaknesses.

1683 A. Behn Young King v. iii. 56 I must tell her something about the King.

1778 F. Burney Evelina II. xxiii. 214 I suppose, Miss, aunt has told you about you know what?

1830 Morning Jrnl. 6 May [He] stated this to Mr. Scanlan, who again saw Mr. Westmacott, and told him to that effect.

1873 T. Hardy Pair of Blue Eyes II. i. 2 Elfride had never told her father of the four-and-twenty-hours' escapade with Stephen.

1910 Trans. 65th Session Amer. Instit. Homœopathy 353 He said he was glad they told him of his fault; it cured him.

1955 N. Marsh Scales of Justice 84 He's the local eccentric I told you about.

1998 Environmental Health News 5 June 2/1 Call the editorial team..and tell us of the big issues facing you.

2013 New Yorker 12 Aug. 42/3 At lunch..he told us about his research.

(b) transitive. With the information, etc., understood or implied by the context; e.g. even if they ask, I will not tell them.

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a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21378 Sco fand it, qua so wil wijt hu? Herc, and i sal tel yow, Als i in a stori fand.

a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxi. 262 Anna. Nay..And do it lawfully. Cayphas. As how? Anna. Tel you I can.

1548 Princess Elizabeth & J. Bale tr. Queen Margaret of Angoulême Godly Medytacyon Christen Sowle f. 15^v But to call the daughter, hast thu so sayd? I besyche the, tell me.

a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) iv. vii. sig. G.iii R. Royster. What doth Kit Custance say? M. Mery. I am loth to tell you.

1672 J. Lacy Dumb Lady iv. 48 He has a design in't but had not time to tell me.

1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 90/2 Q. Did you tell any body else that day? A. I only told Permanund that day.

1848 Sharpe's London Mag. Mar. 127/1 I would not enlighten him on the subject... I would tell my mother.

1865 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 269 Say Saturday; if that does not suit there will be time to tell me.

1921 P. G. Wodehouse Indiscretions of Archie xxii. 250 A fellow with tortoiseshell-rimmed specs asked me, so I told him.

1952 M. McCarthy Groves of Academe (1953) ix. 182 It doesn't seem to me likely that they cooked it up between them... More likely she half guessed and he told her.

2012 S. Townsend Woman who went to Bed for Year xxxvii. 242 This chap asked me what I'd do, and I told him.

(c) transitive. In passive.This construction, e.g. he was told these things by her, she must be told about it, I was told that you were coming, is frequently substituted for the passive of senses 3a, 3b.

ΚΠ

1534 N. Udall Floures for Latine Spekynge gathered oute of Terence f. 4^v I shulde haue ben tolde of it before.

1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. iv. 96 I was told, you were in a consumption.

?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) xii. 555 This by Calypso, I was told, and she Inform'd it, from the verger Mercurie.

1666 R. Boyle Let. 9 Mar. in T. Birch Life R. Boyle (1744) 172 Those, that are freed from the hiccough, by being told of some feigned ill news.

1735 E. Curll in A. Pope Literary Corr. II. p. xiv What..do your Confederates expect, or justly ought to dread, for so many as have been told about the Publication of your Letters?

1779 S. Johnson Let. 16 Oct. (1992) III. 189 I am told how well I look.

1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xi. 206 Wherefore was I not told of all this?

1836 J. A. Wilson Jrnl. 24 Aug. in Missionary Life & Work N.Z. (1889) iii. 48 We were told the events which led to the burning of the mission station.

1863 C. Kingsley Lett. (1878) II. 149 When I am told that the Lancashire system is perfect.

1916 Jrnl. Educ. Psychol. Sept. 402 If not, he was told the answer and given a second example.

1988 A. Miller Enabler (1990) v. 34 He was..told that he had a cluster headache which would eventually go away.

2005 Daily Tel. 22 Aug. 8/2 The finder..is now waiting to be told the whistle's value after having it declared treasure by a coroner's court.

4. transitive. To declare, to state formally or publicly; to announce, proclaim. In later use often with an explicit adverb, as abroad, forth, etc. (see also to tell out 2 at Phrasal verbs 1). Also with clause as object. Also figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (transitive)]

kithec725

i-bedea800

abedeeOE

bid971

deemOE

bodea1000

tellOE

clepec1275

to tell outa1382

denouncec1384

publishc1384

descryc1390

pronouncec1390

proclaima1393

sound1412

proclaim?a1425

renouncea1425

announcec1429

preconize?1440

announce1483

reclaim?1503

call1523

to speak forth1526

annunciate1533

protest1533

to breathe out1535

denouncec1540

enact1611

deblazon1621

deblaze1640

advise1647

apostolize1652

indigitatea1670

enounce1807

voice1850

norate1851

enunciate1864

post1961

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 251 Ne sceole we tellan gif we hwæt lytles to gode gedoð, ac we sceolon geriman ure misdæda mid wope.

OE Lambeth Psalter cxliv. 6 Magnitudinem tuam narrabunt : mærða uel micelnessa þine hig cyðaþ uel hig tellað.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 175 (MED) Þe ypocrites..telleþ hire guodnesses and wryeþ hare kueadnesses.

c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xlix. 7 Þe heuens shul tellen his riȝtfulnes.

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1475 Eche a rynk was bliþe þat..meliors so mariede scholde bene..euerich man wiþ ioye teld it forþ til oþer tiȝtli al a-boute.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xvii. 18 He [sc. Paul] telde to hem Jhesu and aȝen rysing.

a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) xviii. 1 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 151 Heuens telles goddis blisse.

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 150 (MED) We xull telle be dale and hylle How harwere of helle was born þis nyght.

1583 R. P. tr. P. de la Sierra Second Pt. Myrror of Knighthood xxi. f. 119^v The Queene..commanded that to be told publikely, which was spoken in secret.

1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. ii. 126 The great Canon to the clowdes shall tell The rowse the King shall drinke.

1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso (1674) ii. xxxviii. 190 The Master of the Colledge, told in the name of the whole Senate, That [etc.].

1708 R. Estcourt Prunella iv. 15 Tell it in every place you please, White-Hall, in Westminster, or Mews.

1849 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains (1869) II. 84 The Voice, Whose speaking told abroad..The ancient truth of God.

1894 J. Booth Everybody's Guide Music ix. 79 Music..breathed the secret of her wondrous possibilities into the ears of masters yet to be, who came and told it forth to all the world.

1987 V. V. Deloria in R. J. DeMallie & D. R. Parks Sioux Indian Relig. v. 108 The French could tell the word of God, the English could, and now the Indians could tell it, too.

2006 D. Merwick Shame & Sorrow ix. 118 A skipper told it abroad that, thanks to them, the sailor had been ‘wonderfully saved’.

†5. intransitive. To make a statement, communication, or announcement; to speak, discourse. Obsolete except in to tell on at Phrasal verbs 1.In quot. lOE with reference to the stating of a legal case; cf. sense 2a(b). The original composition date of this quot. (late 9th cent.) probably implies earlier currency of the sense.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] > announce or make known

telllOE

gredec1305

society > communication > information > action of informing > give information [verb (intransitive)]

meanOE

telllOE

to make reportc1425

wrayc1425

wrobc1425

lay1488

inform1569

intelligence1616

advertise1764

lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. vii. 253 Ute nu tellan [L. contende] beforan swilcum deman swilce þu wille.

c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 14 (MED) Þet ich ne mahte nawt bringe to eni ende, þah ich hefde a þusent tungen of stele & talde aðet ha weren alle forwerede.

c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 1094 (MED) ‘Sei on dame!’ and ssche bigan To tellen als a fals wimman.

1372 in E. Wilson Descriptive Index Lyrics John of Grimestone's Preaching Bk. (1973) 26 (MED) Siker is det to alle maner men; To tellen of is time neuere no man kan.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vii. 2 And thei tolden to the hous of Dauid, seiende, Siria restede vp on Effraym.

a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 3035 (MED) Aȝeyns Coueytyse can I not telle.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 21 I pray the..tellith to Blase my moders confessour.

1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos ii. sig. C.iij^v They..fixt with eies ententiue did behold, Whan Lord Æneas..from hie bench thus he told.

6. transitive. To express in words (thoughts, things known); (of words) to convey. Frequently in negative constructions. Also: to give verbal expression to, give vent to (an emotion).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > statement > state or declare [verb (transitive)]

speakc900

sayOE

tell?a1160

to put forth?c1225

posea1325

allegec1330

declarec1330

exponec1380

to bring fortha1382

expounda1382

terminec1384

allaya1387

express1386

proport1387

purport1389

cough1393

generalize?a1425

deliverc1454

expremec1470

to show forth1498

promisea1500

term1546

to set forward1560

attribute1563

to throw out1573

quote1575

dictate1599

rendera1616

preport1616

enunciate1623

remonstrate1625

state1642

pronunciate1652

annunciate1763

present1779

enounce1805

report1842

constate1865

lodge1885

outen1951

?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 I ne can ne i ne mai tellen alle þe wunder ne alle þe pines ðat hi diden wrecce men on þis land.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) l. 621 Monie ma murhðen þen alle men mahten wið hare muð munien ant tellen wið tunge.

?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 285 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 177 Ne mai non heorte it þenche, ne no tunge ne can telle.

c1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 51 Ne miȝte no tunge tellen þat euer wes iboren Þe stronge pine of helle.

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 304 (MED) Þat deol þat made Innogen, no tonge telle ne may.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 96 Qua-sa will of hy[r] fa[y]rnes spell, Find he sal inogh to tell.

?a1425 Constit. Masonry (Royal 17 A.i) l. 664 in J. O. Halliwell Early Hist. Freemasonry in Eng. (1844) 36 The vertu therof no mon telle may.

a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 163 His luking, his ganging, and all his havingis ware mare plesand than ony man can tell.

1592 S. Daniel Complaynt of Rosamond in Delia sig. M^v Striuing to tell his woes, wordes would not come.

1650 O. Cromwell Let. 12 Sept. in Writings & Speeches (1939) (modernized text) II. 338 Which the instructed, edified and comforted, can best tell the energy and effect of.

1678 N. Tate Brutus of Alba i. 9 Now I've told my grief I am at ease.

1723 P. Aubin Life Charlotta Du Pont xvii. 175 None but such as have experienced it, can tell the Joy and Comfort poor Christians find, in meeting and conversing together when in Slavery.

1794 W. Blake Songs Exper. (1866) 70 I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

1796 Scots Mag. June 368/1 The emotions of Amelia during these favourable prognostications, no words can tell.

1817 J. Keats Poems 14 Cynthia! I cannot tell the greater blisses, That follow'd thine, and thy dear shepherd's kisses.

1912 H. R. Haggard Marie ix. 129 Who can tell the joy that I experienced as I watched Marie returning from the very brink of the grave to a state of full and lovely womanhood?

1969 T. Schneebaum Keep River on your Right xx. 151 What I want cannot be told in words, but is only to be felt.

1999 Amer. Spectator (Nexis) Oct. Words cannot tell how brave my father was. Not a word of fear, not a word of complaint.

7. figurative.

a. transitive. To make known or indicate as if by language; to attest to, give evidence of, signify, betoken. Now rare (chiefly literary in later use).

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > [verb (transitive)]

tokenc888

sayOE

tellc1175

note?c1225

signifyc1275

notifyc1390

signc1390

ossc1400

testify1445

point1477

betoken1486

indike?1541

demonstrate1558

to give show of1567

argue1585

portend1590

speak1594

denotate1597

denote1597

evidence1610

instance1616

bespeak1629

resent1638

indict1653

notificate1653

indicate1706

exhibit1799

to body forth1821

signalize1825

to speak for ——1832

index1862

signal1866

c1175 ( Homily (Cambr. Ii.1.33) in A. M. Luiselli Fadda Nuove Omelie Anglosassoni (1977) 177 Þonne wenað hi soðlice and on heora gebærum tellað þæt hi hit habban wið god gebet.

a1300 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Caius) 64 (MED) Hu he [sc. the lecher] stinked to god In vitas patrum þe engel hit telleð [?c1225 Cleo. schaude, c1230 Corpus Cambr. schawde] þat heold his nase þa þer com þe prude lechur ridinde.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6905 (MED) Þis wand was don vp for to hald..In takning for to tak and tell Again þe folk was sua [Fairf. at was] rebell.

a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Washington) (1965) l. 3624 Aftir a man haþ in him moost Of weet or drie, hete or colde, His complexioun shal be tolde.

a1702 J. Pomfret Poems (1724) 15 Whilst the World burns, and all the Orbs below, In their viperous Ruins glow, They sink, and unsupported leave the Skies, Which fall abrupt, and tell their torment in the Noise.

1809 R. Heber Europe 29 May those bleak summits tell The field of Anger where the mighty fell.

1827 J. Clare Shepherd's Cal. 148 I care not what this foolish trifling tells.

1899 Argosy Jan. 206 He bowed low to the astonished Cottrell, but his eyes told only too plainly the fierce hatred of the man.

1920 N. C. Barney Poems & Poèmes 12 Unseeing eyes whose clustering tears Tell the pure crystal of her years.

2014 J. Bullard Under North Star vi. 118 The flat tone in Uncle Samuel's voice told his sorrow over the attack on his niece.

b. intransitive. To give evidence, be an indication of.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > [verb (intransitive)]

tella1616

betoken1793

a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. vi. 45 The neighes of Horse to tell of her approach, Long ere she did appeare.

1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere vii, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 47 All was still, save that the hill Was telling of the sound.

1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek v There was so little that told of delusion in the calm simplicity of the doctor's countenance.

1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia I. i. 2 His hard hands and sinewy sun-burnt limbs told of labour and endurance.

1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xxviii. 368 The strained, drawn expression, telling of mental suffering.

1960 M. Sharcott Place of Many Winds viii. 132 A few bricks and a couple of rotted and barnacled pilings tell of a long-forgotten cannery or saltery.

2004 Global May 66/2 Paw prints in the cracked earth told of desert foxes and coyotes.

a. transitive. To utter (words); to read out or recite (a passage, composition, etc.); to say over (something one has memorized or learned). See also to tell off 3 at Phrasal verbs 1, to tell over 2 at Phrasal verbs 1.Now nonstandard.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > [verb (transitive)] > utter

leadOE

givec1175

tell?c1225

talkc1275

to set upa1325

to put outc1350

soundc1374

to give upc1386

pronouncea1393

cough1393

moutha1400

profera1400

forth withc1400

utterc1400

to put forth1535

display1580

vent1602

accent1603

respeak1604

vocalize1669

fetch1707

go1836

outen1951

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 54 Eue..talde him al þe lecun þe god hefde ired hire.

c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 10 (MED) Þe pope..In nede for to cristny men Ȝef alle men ileaue..Olepi mot hym ine þe water, And eke þe wordes telle.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms cxviii. 171 My lippis shuln tellen out an impne.

a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) 474 (MED) Lered men..þat loude couþe synge, With sawters seten hym by, & þe psalmys tolde Of douȝty David þe kyng.

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. 644 Hector bad he shulde goon To þe furies.., Swiche wordis amongis hem to telle.

1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 201 His [sc. the Pope's] numerat Aueis, and Psalmes tauld.

1574 J. Baret Aluearie T 87 To tell by hart, recito.

1668 R. Steele Husbandmans Calling x. 260 Use them to reading, and to tell a verse when you have read.

1683 Tryal Lord Russel 12 Tell the whole passage.

1766 A. Nicol Poems Several Subj. 76 He can pray, and tell long scrifts of Greek, And broken smatters of the Hebrew speak.

1824 P. Schmidtmeyer Trav. into Chile xiv. 324 A custom prevails in many [schools], of making the children learn, or rather tell, their lessons, by bawling them out as loud as their lungs will allow.

1873 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 714 There is a poet..whose words seem to breathe the thoughts and language of my own seared soul... Let me turn my head to tell his lines.

1880 M. A. Courtney W. Cornwall Words in M. A. Courtney & T. Q. Couch Gloss. Words Cornwall 58/2 Tell, to say. ‘Can you tell your lessons?’

1905 L. Wiener tr. L. Tolstoy Compl. Wks. XIX. 388 Visiting-cards, on which his name is printed and which save him the trouble of telling or writing it out.

1920 M. V. O'Shea Everyday Probl. Child Training xi. 213 They were learning the Koran by heart. The master's task consisted wholly in calling upon one boy after another to tell what he had learned.

2014 P. Worley Once upon an If ii. 166 If you are using a poem primarily for its narrative content, I would suggest learning the new words before reading or telling the poem.

†b. transitive. More generally: to say, speak (in contrast to other forms of communication or utterance). Also figurative. Obsolete except as merged with other senses.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)]

speakc825

queatheOE

forthdoc900

i-seggenc900

sayeOE

speak971

meleOE

quidOE

spella1000

forthbringc1000

givec1175

warpa1225

mootc1225

i-schirea1250

upbringa1250

outsay?c1250

spilec1275

talec1275

wisea1300

crackc1315

nevena1325

cast1330

rehearsec1330

roundc1330

spend1362

carpa1375

sermona1382

to speak outc1384

usea1387

minc1390

pronouncea1393

lancec1400

mellc1400

nurnc1400

slingc1400

tellc1400

wordc1400

yelpc1400

worka1425

utterc1444

outspeakc1449

yielda1450

arecchec1460

roose?a1475

cutc1525

to come forth with1532

bubble1536

prolate1542

report1548

prolocute1570

bespeak1579

wield1581

upbraid1587

up with (also mid) ——1594

name1595

upbrayc1600

discoursea1616

tonguea1616

to bring out1665

voice1665

emit1753

lip1789

to out with1802

pitch1811

go1836

to open one's head1843

vocabulize1861

shoot1915

verbal1920

be1982

c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. l. 408 (MED) Ȝif I bidde any bedes..Þat I telle with my tonge is two myle fro myne herte.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ecclus. xxi. 25 The lippes of the vnwyse wylbe tellynge foolish thinges.

1628 T. Hobbes tr. Thucydides Peloponnesian War (1822) 79 Many prophecies were told and many sung by the priests of the oracles.

1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. ix. 412 Who dares think one thing, and another tell, My Heart detests him as the Gates of Hell.

a1791 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 376 Till all the frighted Echoes tell The blood-notes of the chace!

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) Do what I wid I couldn get'n vor to tell a word.

c. intransitive. To speak, talk; to converse, gossip. Also figurative. Cf. tale v. 6. Now rare (English regional (south-western) in later use).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)]

matheleOE

speakc888

spellc888

yedc888

i-quethec900

reirdOE

meldOE

meleOE

quidOE

i-meleOE

wordOE

to open one's mouth (also lips)OE

mootOE

spellc1175

carpa1240

spilec1275

bespeakc1314

adda1382

mella1400

moutha1400

utter?a1400

lalec1400

nurnc1400

parlec1400

talkc1400

to say forthc1405

rekea1450

to say on1487

nevena1500

quinch1511

quetch1530

queckc1540

walk1550

cant1567

twang1602

articulate1615

tella1616

betalk1622

sermocinate1623

to give tongue1737

jaw1748

to break stillness1768

outspeaka1788

to give mouth1854

larum1877

to make noises1909

verbal1974

the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)]

yedc888

speak971

rounda1200

talka1225

tevela1225

intercommunec1374

fable1382

parlec1400

reason?c1425

communique?1473

devise1477

cutc1525

wade1527

enterparle1536

discourse1550

to hold one chat, with chat, in chat1573

parley1576

purpose1590

dialogue1595

commerce1596

dialoguize1596

communicate1598

propose1600

dialogize1601

converse1615

tella1616

interlocute1621

interparle1791

conversate1811

colloquize1823

conversationize1826

colloque1850

visit1862

colloquy1868

to make conversation1921

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 343 'Tis time to part them, He's simple, and tels much.

a1652 R. Brome Damoiselle i. i, in Wks. (1873) I. 385 At his Inne in Holborne Telling a little with the Host.

1680 W. Lawrence Marriage by Morall Law of God ii. i. 224 Yon Brook (hark!) tells with purling sound, From Sea who brings it under ground.

1885 Rep. & Trans. Devonshire Assoc. 17 110 To tell is the equivalent of to say, to speak, to talk. It is very common to hear, ‘I yeard em tellin' together.’

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) He do tell in his sleep ter'ble.

1892 S. Hewett Peasant Speech Devon 21 'E's behind telling tü Mr. Baker.

1905 W. Weeks Devonshire Yarns iv. 19 ‘I spose Tom,’ zed 'is maister tu'n wan day when they was tellin' together 'bout rairin' up famlies, ‘I spose [etc.].’

9. transitive. To assert positively to; to assure (a person). Chiefly in parenthetical expressions of emphasis, as I can tell you, let me tell you, etc. See also I'm telling you at Phrases 5b(b).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)] > by assertion

tella1275

assurea1535

over-talk1605

to talk over1734

to put over1908

to put across1910

a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 5 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 4 Hire fader was a patriac, as ic ou tellen may.

c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 161 On a day as y ȝou telle Our princes speken wordes felle.

a1450 York Plays (1885) 288 (MED) This touches no tresoune, I telle you.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xii. f. xcviij^v I tell the thou departest not thence, tyll thou have made goode the vtmose farthynge.

a1596 Sir Thomas More (1911) i. i. 110 And he is in a good forwardnesse, I telle ye, if all hit right.

a1639 T. Dekker et al. Witch of Edmonton (1658) i. ii. 9 He likes Kate well. I may tell you, I think she likes him as well.

1659 R. Brathwait Panthalia 46 Let me tell you, your Loyalty should produce in you Motives of more piety.

1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 480. ⁋3 Give me leave to tell you, Sir, this is the reason.

1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. iv. ii. 208 Let me tell you, I am not to be persuaded by Metaphysical Arguments.

1790 J. P. Kemble Love in Many Masks iv. ii. 52 Honour! I tell you, I hate it in your sex.

1817 T. L. Peacock Melincourt I. vii. 100 Very orthodox old wine in the cellar, I can tell you.

1888 R. Kipling Wee Willie Winkie 84 'Taint no bloomin' picnic in those parts I can tell you.

1905 F. Young Sands of Pleasure i. iii I tell you, it got on my nerves.

1983 W. Goldman Adventures in Screen Trade 187 Suddenly..Robert Wagner starts to cry. This is, let me tell you, a bonus.

2011 T. Ronald Becoming Nancy (2012) xv. 207 That's all I need with Dad in the mood he's been in for the last couple of weeks, I can tell you.

10.

a. transitive. With (the) truth (formerly †sooth) as object: to make a true statement; to state or report the fact, state of affairs, etc., as it really is. Cf. say v.¹ 2e. See also Phrases 2.to tell the truth and shame the devil: see shame v. 4d.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > truthfulness, veracity > tell the truth [verb (transitive)]

sayOE

tellc1330

nevena1375

straighten1970

c1330 (?c1300) Amis & Amiloun (Auch.) (1937) l. 1481 (MED) Al þe soþe he teld hir þan.

a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) l. 519 He..doune on knees..gan falle, Hym coniuring be the goddes alle To telle trouth and no thyng to hide.

?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 40 Telle me þe trewth.

1536 R. Morison Remedy for Sedition sig. Bij All thynges telle truthe but man.

c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 38 I shall telle you the trewth how me tyd euyn.

1563 L. Humphrey Nobles or of Nobilitye sig. g.viii^v Nor speaketh hee alwayes yll, who telleth the trueth, though freely.

1610 A. Cooke Pope Ioane 52 He was loath by telling truth to discredite Luitprandus.

1673 J. Milton On Death Fair Infant viii, in Poems (new ed.) 19 Or wert thou that just Maid who once before Forsook the hated earth, O tell me sooth.

1705 F. Fuller Medicina Gymnastica 116 They don't love to be told the Truth, tho' it is ever so necessary.

1797 H. Lee Canterbury Tales I. 84 What need of invention? We have only to tell the simple truth.

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian xi, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 253 She will tell the truth, if it should be the undoing of her.

1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn i. 17 There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.

1948 Official Detective Stories May 43/2 Now I have told the truth from the bottom of my heart and my conscience is clear.

1993 I. Murdoch Green Knight (1994) iii. 334 It's like being in a fairy palace where everything is lit up and beautiful and everything is understood and forgiven and truth is told and love declared.

2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 7 Jan. i. 22/1 As with many relationships born on the Internet, neither was telling the truth.

b. transitive. Similarly with lie, falsehood, untruth, etc., as object: to make a deliberately false statement or report. See also I tell a lie at Phrases 17.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lie, tell (lies) [verb (transitive)]

lie1377

forgec1386

to belie the truthc1400

tellc1400

to tell (formerly to make) a liec1400

sayc1460

to face (a person) with a lie1530

cog1570

c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 123 (MED) Men þat schulden be professoures of science of God synnen many weies..Somme..professoures of divinyte..whan þei schulden preche Gods lawe to þo puple, þei tellen lesynges.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 1407 Goddes speken in Amphibologies, And for a soth þey tellen .xx. lyes.

1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) iv. xxii. sig. dd.ij A man may well some tyme holde his peas of the trouth, but not to telle a lye.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. iv. 74 And twenty of these punie lies ile tell .

1688 J. Crowne Darius i. 10 Da. Lye not. Ty. I will not, Sir—What should I gain by telling you untruth?

1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. xii. 196 ‘My sweetest miss,’ cried my wife, ‘he has told you nothing but falsehoods.’

a1771 T. Gray Jemmy Twitcher in Gentleman's Mag. (1782) lii. 40 The prophet of Bethel, we read, told a lie.

1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lii. 469 It was not the habit of this dear creature to tell falsehoods, except when necessity compelled.

1875 M. A. Fleming Gypsy Queen's Vow xxi. 193 ‘Miss Lawless, do you know where little girls that tell fibs go to?’ said Miss Sharpe, sternly.

1927 Passing Show Summer 14/1 Don't tell me a pack of godforsaken lies!

1967 E. Ambler Dirty Story i. iii. 25 Never tell a lie when you can bullshit your way through.

2000 Reader's Digest Oct. 97/1 It [sc. testosterone] may influence a decision to invest money in a dubious enterprise, jump into an ill-advised affair or tell a big whopper.

2014 G. Hogg Don't cry for Brave xxviii. 143 You told lies on oath, you asshole! Unless the girl tells the same lies, you're finished.

11.

a. To disclose or reveal (something secret or private, or previously not generally known); to divulge.

(a) transitive.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)]

unwryc825

unhelec1000

to draw forthc1175

unhillc1200

to bring forth?c1225

unsteekc1250

let witc1275

uncovera1300

wraya1300

knowc1300

barea1325

shrivec1374

unwrapc1374

again-covera1382

nakena1382

outc1390

tellc1390

disclosea1393

cough1393

unhidea1400

unclosec1400

unhaspc1400

bewrayc1405

reveal1409

accusea1413

reveil1424

unlocka1425

unrekec1425

disclude?1440

uncurec1440

utter1444

detect1447

break1463

expose1483

divinec1500

revelate1514

to bring (also put) to light1526

decipher1529

rake1547

rip1549

unshadow1550

to lay to sight1563

uppen1565

unlace1567

unvisor?1571

resign1572

uncloak1574

disshroud1577

spill1577

reap1578

unrip1579

scour1585

unharboura1586

unmask1586

uncase1587

descrya1591

unclasp?1592

unrive1592

discover1594

unburden1594

untomb1594

unhusk1596

dismask1598

to open upc1600

untruss1600

divulge1602

unshale1606

unbrace1607

unveil1609

rave1610

disveil1611

unface1611

unsecret1612

unvizard1620

to open up1624

uncurtain1628

unscreen1628

unbare1630

disenvelop1632

unclothe1632

to lay forth1633

unshroud1633

unmuffle1637

midwife1638

dissecret1640

unseal1640

unmantle1643

to fetch out1644

undisguise1655

disvelop1658

decorticate1660

clash1667

exert1692

disinter1711

to up with1715

unbundlea1739

develop1741

disembosom1745

to open out1814

to let out1833

unsack1846

uncrown1849

to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861

unfrock1866

disbosom1868

to blow the lid off1928

flush1950

surface1955

to take or pull the wraps off1964

c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 141 (MED) We schal telle trewely We toke þe wiþ a-voutri.

1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 277 Thise goddis the telle þin enemyes sleightes, and lede to þe couchis of fraude.

1566 J. Martiall Replie to Calfhills Blasphemous Answer v. f. 141 None but such as haue bene of priuie counsell in Sathans courte, can tell these secrets.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iv. 110 She neuer told her loue.

1664 T. Porter Carnival iv. 45 Elv. Most freely, Sir, Are you acquainted, Sir, with his intentions?..Fel. Madam, I am, but dare not tell the secret, Without his leave.

1797 M. Robinson Walsingham I. xi. 181 ‘If you tell that you found Lord Linbourne in my chamber,’ said Lady Aubrey..‘I will discard you for ever.’

1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xviii. 155 She told no more of her thoughts now than she had before.

1896 J. Curtin tr. H. Sienkiewicz Quo Vadis xi. 101 I will tell nothing here! Come with me; I will tell my thoughts in the litter.

1916 G. Bonner Black Eagle Myst. xviii. Also—I am telling everything—I think I was jealous of him.

1985 S. H. Zarit et al. Hidden Victims Alzheimer's Dis. viii. 174 To be with six or seven relative strangers and to tell her innermost secrets, which she had not even shared with family or friends.

2001 E. Meidav Far Field cxx. 514 She wondered whether the boy's last thoughts..were that she might have betrayed him to Honree. He might've believed she had told his secret.

(b) intransitive with object implied. See also do tell! at Phrases 12.don't ask, don't tell: see do v. Phrases 6d.

ΚΠ

1796 F. Burney Camilla II. v. 98 ‘O! pray tell, Jacob,’ cried Miss Margland; ‘did they say any thing of Mr. Mandlebert?’ ‘Yes, and of more than Mr. Mandlebert,’ said Jacob... ‘Do tell, do tell,’ cried lndiana, eagerly.

1833 M. Clarke Sarah Maria Cornell i. 6 Tab. Oh, Mary, I had a horrid dream last night. Mary. A dream, Tabby? Oh, do tell.

1888 H. James Reverberator 170 What have you been through?..Will you please tell? I've been perfectly wild!

1899 E. Wharton Greater Inclination 112 If you 'll tell I 'll promise not to.

1942 O. Petrova Butter with my Bread iii. 44 ‘How, then?’ ‘I won't tell.’ ‘Oh, do tell! Please, Marie Louise.’ ‘No, I can't.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because it's a secret.’

2008 M. Keyes This Charming Man 38 She was agog to hear and I was agog to tell.

†(a) transitive. To reveal (something specific in the future); to foretell, predict. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > predict, foretell [verb (transitive)]

fore-sayc900

bodeOE

before-sayOE

before-tella1382

foretella1400

prognostica1400

tella1400

prenosticate?a1475

prenostic1477

prognosticatec1487

forespeak1489

prognostify1495

foreshow1561

prenunce1563

presage1569

boden1573

forewarn1582

predict1590

forehalsen1594

foresignify1597

prognosticon1602

predivine1607

forespell1611

predicate1623

prenuntiate1623

preadmonish1644

forebode1664

prediction1665

prenotea1711

bespeak1721

pre-announce1793

prophesize1848

to call for ——1895

pick1909

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > inspired prophecy > prophesy [verb (transitive)]

prophesy1372

betoken1382

prophetize?a1400

spaea1400

tella1400

writec1405

ossc1450

destiny?1549

fore-prophesy1581

forewarn1582

vaticinate1652

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 9265 (MED) Crist was talde wiþ prophecy.

a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 2 (MED) Þis Gospel of Mark bigynneþ how Crist was teld in þe olde lawe.

c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 200 All þe sawis of þaire Syre as Siraphis tald, Þare gan þai graithly þam graue.

(b) transitive. To make a prediction or prophecy about (a person's fate or fortune, the future, etc.). See also fortune n. 3d.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > utter predictions [verb (intransitive)]

prognosticate?a1475

prognostic1481

prophetizea1500

tell?1518

prophesy1563

presage1592

predict1652

prophesize1816

?1518 A. Barclay Fyfte Eglog sig. C.iii Foles..Whiche wene to nombre, the sterres of the skye By them supposynge, eche desteny to tell.

1579 J. Frampton tr. M. Polo Most Noble & Famous Trauels 154 The superstition whyche they doe call Geomancia, by the whiche they tell thinges to come.

1655 R. Farnworth Witchcraft cast Out 3 The Stars were not set in the firmament for such as thou art, to tell destinies or fortunes by.

1684 E. Ravenscroft Dame Dobson ii. vii. 19 I am inform'd that you..can tell by Astrology things past, present, and to come.

1731 Polit. State Great Brit. Feb. 117 A Woman dressed like a Hermit arrived lately at Metz, and pretending to be a Prophetess, set up to tell future Events.

1857 Lit. Mag. (Univ. Virginia) Apr. 159 To the Roman, the toad's entrails told the future, as great an oracle as Delphi or a modern card-table.

1902 Pilot 5 Apr. 371/1 I have no hesitation in discrediting all forecasts which pretend to tell the weather of the year, or even an entire month or week.

1936 ‘R. Hyde’ Passport to Hell 173 Tinker-grass on which New Zealand children tell their futures.

2010 A. Pearson I think I love You (2011) 54 Didn't people used to look at guts to tell the future, Greeks and that?

(c) transitive. colloquial. To make a prediction or prophecy on the basis of an examination of (tea leaves, a person's palm, etc.); = read v. 11b.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > augury, divination from omens > augur, divine from omens [verb (transitive)]

conjecturec1384

conject1496

augurate1571

augur1593

augurize1596

ominate1599

portend1605

ariolate1652

tell1891

1891 O. Wilde Ld. Arthur Savile's Crime 8 Now, Mr. Podgers, I want you to tell the Duchess of Paisley's hand.

1916 Ireland (N.Y.) 11 Nov. 13/3 The Wise Woman..shot out the dregs on to the hearth, leaving the tea leaves spread thickly over the sides and bottom of the cup... ‘Whist woman, she's goin' to tell the leaves!’

1967 Evergreen Rev. Aug. 25/1 Tell you what... I'll tell the tea leaves for you.

1998 J. O'Connor Salesman xv. 302 She could not take money for nothing..but she would tell my palm if I wanted.

c. Chiefly colloquial. To disclose something wished to be kept secret; to play the informer, inform, tell tales, blab.

(a) intransitive. With on, (less commonly) of (a person).Apparently rare before the 18th cent.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)] > disclose or reveal secrets

tell1537

blaba1616

to let the cat out of the bag1760

to blow the gab or gaff1834

to shoot off one's mouth1864

to give the show away1879

unload1904

to spill the beans1919

to shoot the works1922

1537 Bible (Matthew's) 1 Sam. xxvii. D Dauid saued nether man nor woman alyue..for feare leste they shulde telle on them.

1723 Let. 16 May in Cal. State Papers, Colonial (1934) XXXIII. 256 We are as wise as the children, whose common saying is let me alone and I'le let you alone, don't tell on me and I'le not tell on you.

1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. To tell on, to inform of. A doubtful phrase.

1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. xi. 254 I ask no questions—no man bound to tell on himsell.

1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss I. i. v. 62 He didn't want to ‘tell’ of Maggie.

1897 C. M. Campbell Deilie Jock i. 16 Bobe..used to get mair than his fair share o' the tawse as it was, without my tellin' on him.

1903 G. B. Shaw Man & Superman i. 32 Ann. I never told of you, Jack. Tanner. No; but if you had wanted to stop me you would have told of me.

1943 B. Smith Tree grows in Brooklyn xxxv. 206 And I didn't tell on you either, the time you made a cigarette out of coffee grounds and when you smoked it the paper caught fire [etc.].

1968 J. Lock Lady Policeman xx. 162 They felt they ought not to ‘tell on her’ unless it was absolutely necessary.

1974 Age (Melbourne) 12 Oct. 12/1 Ooh Aah! I'm going to tell on you: I will inform the authorities.

2003 K. Hosseini Kite Runner (2004) ii. 4 He never told on me.

(b) transitive. With on and the person informed as object.

ΚΠ

?1576 Common Condicions sig. Gij^v Il tell my Lorde on you now, because you did beate mee.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1623) v. ii. 154 I, 'twas he that told me on her first.

1783 Double Conspiracy ii. 23 Bet. Get away;—I'll tell Father on you.

1890 Ladies' Home Jrnl. June 13/2 You nasty thing! I'm going to tell papa on you, as soon as he comes home.

1915 E. Cook Kindling Hearth Fire i. 15 Ned. Look what Pete gave me. (Exhibits cigarette.) Doris. Give that to me. I'll tell mother on you.

1997 A. Smith Like (2001) 272 Get away from those canal banks Aisling McCarthy or I'll tell your father on you.

ΚΠ

1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful III. iv. 75 I had resolved to tell, and did so, narrating distinctly the circumstances by which the money had been obtained.

1855 New Monthly Mag. Jan. 10 ‘Did you bring Miss Darling a note from your brother this morning?’ ‘Yes, I did,’ stammered Anna. ‘Don't tell, please.’

1917 W. MacHarg & E. Balmer Indian Drum xi. 189 You tell Ben Corvet I want my money, or I'll tell.

1996 F. McCourt Angela's Ashes (1997) vi. 186 She..runs up the stairs crying, I'll tell, I'll tell, and when we get back to the room Mrs. Clohessy gives Paddy a belt on the head for what he did to his poor little sister.

2011 J. L. Pridgen Color of Justice xxvi. 203 They kept cuttin' their eyes at me, lookin' like, please don't tell, please don't tell.

d. transitive. Of time, the future, etc.: to reveal or make plain. Also with double object and intransitive with object implied.Frequently in time will tell (all) at time n., int., and conj. Phrases 6d.

ΚΠ

1596 L. Hutton Blacke Dogge of Newgate sig. B4^v Rest now content, and Time will tell thee more.

1599 M. Aray Discouerie Tragical Fiction f. 12 Tyme will tell all.

1654 T. Fuller 2 Serm. 75 Whether this will ever be really effected, or whether it will prove an Abortive..Time will tell.

1712 H. Curzon Universal Libr. I. 285 History will tell us more in an Hour, than a whole Age wou'd shew us.

1847 L. Cass Speech in Niles' Weekly Reg. 20 Mar. 41/3 What we have been and are, the past and the present have told, and are telling us.

1895 Bostonian Dec. 284/2 You haven't much faith in my love, after all, Elsie. Ah, well! Never mind, dear; the future will tell.

1988 Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth) 20 July 12 Today will tell whether the Government has decided to begin the long process of handing over South West Africa.

12. Chiefly with can or be able.

a. To be certain or precise in regard to a particular question; to have sufficient knowledge to answer or judge. Most commonly in negative and interrogative contexts, as nobody can tell, who can tell?, etc. Cf. say v.¹ 16.

(a) transitive. With the question expressed by an interrogative clause.Often with some suggestion of sense 3b(a).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive, be aware of [verb (intransitive)]

tellc1390

to be perceiveda1400

to take cognizance of1635

notice1820

waken1825

to wake to1836

to take notice1845

to tune in1926

the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive [verb (transitive)]

acknowOE

keepc1000

feelOE

findOE

seeOE

yknowc1275

apperceivec1300

descrivec1300

knowc1300

perceivec1330

taste1340

tellc1390

catcha1398

scenta1398

devisea1400

kena1400

concernc1425

descrya1450

henta1450

apprehend1577

scerne1590

to take in1637

discreevec1650

recognize1795

absorb1840

embrace1852

cognizea1856

cognosce1874

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)]

seeOE

understandc1000

knowlOE

tellc1390

conceive1563

smoke1676

overstand1699

savvy1785

dig1789

twig1832

capisce1904

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (transitive)] > reach understanding of

conceive1340

grope1390

tellc1390

catchc1475

reacha1500

make1531

to make sense of1574

to make outa1625

apprehend1631

realize1742

finda1834

reify1854

recognize1879

to get (something) straight1920

to pick up1946

to work out1953

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > misjudgement > [phrase]

tellc1390

not to see the wood (see wood) for the trees (for trees)1546

c1390 Roberd of Cisyle (Vernon) (1930) l. 244 Wher such cloþ was to selle, Ne ho hit maade, couþe no mon telle.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 353 Noman can telle who wroot it.

1526 Bible (Tyndale) John xvi. f. cxlv We cannot tell what he saith [Gk. οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί λαλεῖ, 1881 R.V. We know not what he saith].

1553 T. Wilson Arte Rhetorique (1580) 160 Neither can he otherwise chuse but stumble: that gropyng in the darcke can not tell where he is.

1562 Bp. J. Pilkington Vision of Abdy in Aggeus & Abdias Prophetes sig. Ff.vi It is harde to tell whether he offendes God more that does the wronge & oppresses an other, or he that standes by laughing, mocking and scorning.

1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 195 These men haue great knowledge in mettalls, and tell if a peece be good or false as soone as they see it.

1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 142 It is hard to tell whether it be a Horse or an Elephant.

1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 184. ⁋12 None can tell whether the good that he pursues is not evil in disguise.

1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 27/1 The name upon the seal is Maha Rajah Nundocomar. It appears to be his seal; I cannot tell who affixed it.

1838 T. Arnold Hist. Rome (1848) I. 99 Nor can any one tell at what time they attained to their present shape.

1874 A. H. Bogardus Field, Cover, & Trap Shooting xii. 202 I could hardly tell whether a flock was Canada geese, brant geese, or the so-called Mexican geese.

1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children vi. 41 Jane doesn't seem to like it—I can't tell why.

1906 McClure's Mag. 26 414 You never could tell where Texas Pete was goin' to jump next.

1959 I. Gershwin Lyrics on Several Occasions 361 The resultant compositions sang so naturally that I doubt if any listener, lacking the mentions in this note, could tell which came first—the words or the music.

2009 C. Neilan Abattoir Jack xiv. 101 You just can't tell what men like that are thinking.

(b) intransitive. With the question stated in or implied by the context.

ΚΠ

1601 R. Yarington Two Lamentable Trag. sig. C4^v Loney. Wheres maister Beech? Neigh. Nay, no body can tell.

a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Coxcombe iii. i. in Comedies & Trag. (1647) 106/2 If I might councel you, I think 'twere better to go home, and try what may be done yet, hee may bee at home afore you, who can tell?

1700 T. Southerne Fate of Capua i. iii. 20 O! cou'd thy gentleness of Soul infuse Its Spirit into my Breast, to temper mine; How shou'd I then be blest! But who can tell? Perhaps 'tis better order'd as it is.

1714 S. Centlivre Wonder v. 66 Col. How went she? Fred. No body can tell, they conjecture thro' the Window.

1816 G. Flagg Let. 12 Nov. in Flagg Corr. (1986) 3 What the New England people call towns and villages they call townships & towns. I have asked many people what township they lived in & they could not tell.

1897 Quiver 645/2 ‘But do you like her?’ reiterated Cicely. ‘I cannot tell. She is very fascinating, and amusingly unconventional.’

1955 S. Wilson Man in Grey Flannel Suit viii. 54 We won't be able to tell about the pelvis till we take her to hospital and get her X-rayed.

2011 Guardian 14 Apr. (G2 section) 2/2 Will this be the future of cinema? It's difficult to tell.

b. transitive. To recognize, distinguish, or discern (someone or something); to form a definite view in regard to (something); to ascertain.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > discriminate, distinguish [phrase]

to tell tother (or t'other) from whicha1325

can (or could) skillc1340

tella1425

to thread the difference1627

to cut (to) a thread (between)1647

to draw the line1766

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > discern [verb (transitive)] > recognize as different

sundereOE

distinct1303

knowc1330

distinguea1340

kena1400

tella1425

discern1484

distinguish1561

smell1582

discriminate1637

undifference1654

a1425 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Galba) l. 29482 (MED) In cursing all men may þam tell þat lang in dedly sin will dwell.

a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1976) 147 How shuldyn meen tellyn or knowyn al þis dyuerste be þe bodyis abouyn?

c1565 A. B. Merie Tales Gotam viii. sig. A.viii Some sayde lett the Hare alone, he can tel a nearer way then the best of vs all.

1625 J. Hart Anat. Urines ii. viii. 99 So much lesse art thou able to tell the time of it.

1682 T. D'Urfey Injured Princess ii. i. 12 Who can tell a Murderer by his Face?

1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. iv. 58 None before me so sapient to engage To tell the various nature, or the age Of fish and fowl.

1792 H. H. Brackenridge Mod. Chivalry I. i. 18 But the Captain having no faith in telling disorders by the urine, thought proper to send for a surgeon.

1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xiii. 29 They can be told by their complexions, dress, manner, and also by their speech.

1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxiv. 231 You can tell a wind-reef, straight off, by the look of it.

1936 ‘G. Orwell’ Diary 11 Feb. in Coll. Ess. (1968) I. 176 You can always tell a miner by the blue tattooing of coal dust on the bridge of his nose.

1979 P. Norman Skaters' Waltz 107 They are counting the spots on a ladybird to tell its age.

2005 Elle Girl (U.K. ed.) Feb. 14/1 I think British girls have great natural style—it's the way they put things together. You can always tell a girl from the UK.

c. transitive. With clause as object: to perceive clearly (that something is the case). Also intransitive.

ΚΠ

c1475 tr. Secreta Secret. (Tripolitanus abbrev.) (1977) 372 (MED) Make neuer thy messangere of a man will be drunke, for by him shall be tolde and knowen [L. cognoscebant] that his lorde is nat wyse.

1665 E. Stillingfleet Rational Acct. Protestant Relig. i. v. 154 No one that can tell, that two and two make four, can question but if the Doctrine of Christ be true.

1728 H. Curson Office & Duty Executors (new ed.) Suppl. 462 The Court demanded of the Witnesses, Whether a Stranger..could tell that the Devise of the Lands in Question was to Etheringham.

1778 Transmigration 3 The Disputant can quickly tell They're something like Lines parallel.

1838 Dublin Univ. Mag. Mar. 290/1 Sure I can tell—Miss Goulding can tell—the whole world can tell, that it was Mrs. Smith, herself.

1873 M. Oliphant Innocent II. 231 It was..a dog-cart..he could tell as much by the sound.

1902 H. James Wings of Dove (1969) v. iii. 195 He asked me scarcely anything—he doesn't need to... He can tell. He knows.

1924 ‘K. Mansfield’ Something Childish 124 They're not respectable women—you can tell at a glance.

1963 J. Fowles Collector i. 49 I always thought people could tell I lived on my own.

2005 M. Atwood Penelopiad ix. 60 Though she gave me a formal welcome I could tell she didn't approve of me.

d. transitive. Of a person: to determine or ascertain (the time of day) by the position of the sun, by means of a clock, etc.; to read (the time on) the face of a clock or watch. Cf. earlier to tell the clock at Phrases 7.In North American usage often as to tell time.

ΚΠ

1656 tr. T. White Peripateticall Inst. 116 Neither could a Man tell the houres of the day as a Clock does, which yet is it self but a work of our Reason.

1725 T. Lewis Origines Hebrææ IV. vii. ii. 6 In this Manner the Peasants can tell the Hour of the Day, without Dial and Clock, by the Shadow of their Cottages.

1819 W. Irving Rip Van Winkle in Sketch Bk. i. 68 The neighbours could tell the hour by his movements as accurately as by a sun dial.

1840 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop I. xi. 150 You can see a piece of the church clock through the chimneys, and almost tell the time.

1871 L. M. Alcott Little Men xvii. 295 At present I have no means of telling time, and am often late at school.

1921 J. B. Thomson Art of teaching Arithm. (ed. 2) ii. 8 The child who has learnt to tell the time finds that his life is his to order and arrange as never before.

1948 Chicago Defender 16 Oct. 6/4 One can always buy another clock, or even tell time by the sun, if push comes to shove.

1984 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 24 Dec. He'd pull out his watch..then say, ‘Would you believe it?’ and shove it at you to have a look yourself so he didn't have to admit he couldn't tell the time.

2014 Irish Independent (Nexis) 11 Apr. 3 In my kitchen I tell the time by the clock on the cooker.

e. transitive. To distinguish (one thing) from another. In later use also intransitive: to distinguish between two or more things. See also to tell apart at Phrasal verbs 1.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > discern [verb (transitive)]

wita1300

discerna1400

to have eyes to seea1425

decern1559

discover1581

dignoscea1639

dignote1657

tell1657

diagnose1861

1657 J. Rowland tr. J. Johnstone Hist. Wonderful Things of Nature vii. xxii. 223 Formerly in England a Lyon could tell noble blood from base.

1710 C. Shadwell Fair Quaker of Deal iii. 36 Ne'er a Commission-Officer in our Ship could tell Starbord from Larboard.

1713 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics 145 Every body can tell Sweet from Bitter.

1850 String of Pearls 109 I never could tell the pork from the veal myself, for they seemed to me both alike.

1880 St. Thomas's Hosp. Rep. 10 43 Totally colour-blind; ‘I can only tell between white, black, and brown;’ asked for ‘brown’ he picked up scarlet.

1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xvi. 195 An ordinary man of common intelligence can tell a wall raised by..a competent builder from the attempted imitation of a bungling amateur.

1919 J. Thurber Let. 31 May (2002) 42 You can sure tell an American lass from all the other races over here in half a glance.

1992 Independent 7 Aug. 3/8 The Kennel Club does not recognise American pit bulls as a breed, so in Britain there is no means of telling between the two.

2011 New Yorker 14 Feb. 128/2 You could no longer tell the real from the simulated.

†13. intransitive. To pray to. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > prayer > pray [verb (intransitive)]

i-bid971

bidc1175

ure?c1225

prayc1300

to bid a beada1325

to say one's beadsa1325

tellc1450

to tell or count one's beads1641

c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 1755 To þe castell he rod..To Jhesu bad and tolde To sende hym tydynge glad.

14.

a. transitive. To order, command, instruct, direct, or enjoin (a person) to do something; to request or advise authoritatively. Chiefly with infinitive clause. Also in extended use with reference to physiological signals, computer instructions, etc.rare before the late 17th cent.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > command > command or bidding > command [verb (transitive)]

i-bedea800

highteOE

bid971

bibedec1000

ordainc1325

warnc1380

commanda1382

tella1475

mand1483

wishc1515

hest1582

behight1591

order1609

mandate1623

warrant1632

a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 132 Ley it with-out ruffelynge streiȝt to þat oþer side, y þe telle.

1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love ii. iii. sig. D4 Place your Mirror in your Hat, as I tolde you.

1678 in tr. J. Le Noir New Politick Lights Pref. sig. a6 Another dreams a Dream, that such a Saint appeared to him, and told him to dig in such a place for such a thing.

1693 R. Lyde True Acct. Retaking of Ship 10 I told him to knock down that Man at the Helm.

?1697 J. Lewis Mem. Duke of Glocester (1789) 78 The princess ordered Mrs. Wanley to tell me not to shew him any more, as she intended to have him taught regularly.

1758 T. Bullitt Let. 21 May in G. Washington Papers (1988) V. 190 I'be Oblige to you if you'll tell the Doctr to bring down some Sarve fore sore Leggs.

1786 J. Woodforde Diary 8 Dec. (1926) II. 288 I asked him to drink and told Betty to draw some.

1835 F. Chamier Unfortunate Man I. iv. 117 He was told to be silent, in a tone of voice which set me shaking.

1879 T. L. Cuyler Pointed Papers 19 Christ nowhere tells sinners to wait for revivals.

1899 R. Kipling Stalky & Co. i. 15 Tell the Sergeant to keep his eye open.

1917 Independent (N.Y.) 17 Nov. 349/2 I am tubercular. My doctor has told me to sleep out of doors.

1963 Life 8 Nov. 85/3 All [the drugs] somehow interfere with the signals that tell the body to eat.

1964 J. Bernstein Analyt. Engine iii. 70 Next comes the message +400 202; it tells the machine to add the number in Address 202 to whatever is in the accumulator.

1989 B. Malamud People 191 She was an active girl,..getting things done without having to be told.

2014 Daily Tel. 21 Mar. (Sport section) 10/1 Factories have been shut and shops told to close early in order to avoid power cuts at the stadiums.

†b. transitive. To direct (a person) to a place. Cf. teach v. 3a. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > show (the way) [verb (transitive)] > lead back

teachc893

forleadOE

to lead the wayc1175

kenc1200

dressc1330

lerec1330

guy1362

guidec1374

reduce?a1425

tell1485

way lead1485

arrect1530

reconduct1566

reduct1580

1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xvi. x. sig. Rij^v Canst thow telle me vnto somme chappel where that I may burye this body.

c. transitive. In passive. To accept orders or direction. Only in negative contexts, esp. in will not be told.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > subjection > obedience > obey or be obedient [verb (intransitive)]

bow?c1225

obeyc1375

obeisha1382

clinea1400

obtempera1492

obtemperate?1533

say1588

tell1859

1859 G. Cupples Hinchbridge Haunted vi. 106 ‘The driver wanted it put up all night—would take no denial either...’ ‘Can't put up a 'oss this blessed night, ye know, boy,’ answered Muggops hastily... ‘A' won't be told, though,’ insisted Jim.

1898 Mrs. H. Ward Helbeck i. v. 101 He's that masterful he woan't be towd.

1900 H. Sutcliffe Shameless Wayne xiii. 170 He's getten a peffing cough.., but he willun't be telled.

1977 B. Bainbridge Injury Time (1978) xv. 127 Teddy did warn you... But you wouldn't be told.

1994 J. Little Inside 60 Minutes iii. 23 She's not just single minded, on occasions she's just plain pig headed and won't be told by anyone.

2002 D. Wiltse Hangman's Knot i. 9 Billy put his foot on Lapolla's shoulder and shoved him away from the dog... ‘You just will not be told, will you, Bert?’

15. transitive. Of a clock, watch, etc.: to indicate (the time); (sometimes) spec. to indicate (the hour or the time, or a specific time) by chiming. Also with double object.The past participle told may in some cases be intended as a past participle of toll v.² (cf. sense 3).

ΚΠ

1566 W. Painter tr. O. Landi Delectable Demaundes iii. f. 65 Why would nature that the Lupine should be torned to wardes the sonne, to do the office of a Dyall, by telling the time of the daie vnto the Countrie people?

1597 W. Barlow Navigator's Supply sig. F3^v In the Semi-equator the Moueable Meridian telleth you the houre, and the Semicircle of Altitudes in the Horizon, makes manifest the true Point of the Compasse.]

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. ii. 10 All Offices are open, and there is full liberty, from this present houre of fiue, till the bell hath told eleuen.

1640 J. D. Knave in Graine iii. sig. G2^v The Chime that tells the last minuite of the night, Chides but in vaine when every thing's a sleepe.

1750 M. Browne Sunday Thoughts: Pt. II. 21 The solemn bell Resounding hoarse, has told the hour of morn.

a1807 W. Wordsworth Prelude (1959) iii. 72 Trinity's loquacious Clock..told the hours Twice over with a male and female voice.

1842 C. Fox Jrnl. 1 Jan. in Mem. Old Friends (1882) viii. 147 The winding-up of our watch that it may tell us the time to-morrow.

1845 New Sporting Mag. Oct. 262 Then did the shooting go ahead..till the clock told half-past two of the afternoon.

1924 R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm ii. 117 When Madeleine next had attention to spare for such matters, the chimes were telling six o'clock.

1995 P. Woodward My Own Right Time iv. 32 A pawl pivoted on the pendulum rod drove this little wheel round, and my clock then told the time.

2009 M. Adams Sarah Boone iii. 31 The congregation slowly made its way inside as the church bell told the hour.

16. transitive. Chiefly Scottish. To drive (pain, bewitchment, etc.) away or out by uttering the requisite (incantatory) words. Sc. National Dict. records this sense as still in use in Shetland in 1972.

ΚΠ

1708 Session Reg. in G. Low Tour Orkney & Shetl. (1879) App. 203 He wanted the power of one of his Knees, and enquired her if she could not tell out the paine of the said knee... She..declared..that she has heard from others that a pain or a stitch has been telled out in that manner.

1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shetland Islands 581 The religious charmer of Shetland would mutter some words over water,..and limbs were washed with it, for the purpose of telling out pains.

1869 J. T. Reid Art Rambles 25 Papa Stourians believed that the beadle of the kirk had the power of ‘telling’ the sparrows away so as never to return.

1927 Word-lore Dec. 199 The custom was to seek the aid of certain women who were said to be gifted with the power of ‘tellin' awa' da trows’.

II. To mention numerically, to count, reckon.

17.

a. transitive. To count (the members of a series or group); to enumerate, reckon, number. Also intransitive. See also to tell out 1 at Phrasal verbs 1. Now rare in general use (chiefly English regional (northern) in later use).all told: see Phrases 11.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)]

rimeeOE

arimec885

atellc885

talec897

i-telle971

tellOE

readc1225

reckon?c1225

aima1375

numbera1382

denumber1382

accounta1393

casta1400

countc1400

umberc1400

ascribe1432

annumerate?a1475

to sum upa1475

annumbera1500

ennumber1535

reckon?1537

tally1542

compute1579

recount1581

rate1599

catalogize1602

to add up1611

suma1616

enumeratea1649

numerate1657

to run up1830

to figure out1834

figure1854

to count up1872

enumer1936

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > separate by counting

tellOE

tale1631

to tell off1827

to count out1865

OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) xv. 5 Tell þas steorran, gyf ðu mæge.

OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Num. (Claud.) iii. 15 Tele ælcne wæpnedman on Leuies mægðe... Moyses ða tealde, swa Drihten him bebead.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 4550 & wha se wile tellenn hemm Bi tale he findeþþ ehhte.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12165 To tellen [c1300 Otho telle] þat folc of Kairliun ne mihte hit na mon idon.

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. xxi. 499 Onliche he knowiþ how many þey bene þat noumbriþ and telliþ þe sterris.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13302 Tuelue þai war to tell in tale.

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cxliii/2 He tolde atte table syttyng xiij poure pylgryms.

?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xvi^v Let hym go to theende of his lande & begyn and tell .ix. sheues & let hym cast out the .x. sheffe in the name of god.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xiv. 17 Tell and se which of vs is gone awaye. And whan they nombred, beholde, Ionathas & his wapen bearer was not there.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xxi. B They pearsed my hondes and my fete, I might haue tolde [1560 Geneva I maie tel] all my bones.

1613 W. Browne Shepherd's Pipe v. i Morne had got the start of night..When the shepheards from the fold All their bleating charges told.

1657 J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee 43 Every countreyman can tell his Geese, and reckon right.

1696 T. Wagstaffe Acct. Proc. recoining Clipp'd Money 8 His Son (who can scarce tell ten) is one of the Tellers in the Exchequer.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 254 He could not tell Twenty in English; but he numbred them, by laying so many Stones on a Row, and pointing to me to tell them over.

1748 J. Mason Ess. Elocution 24 A Comma stops the Voice while we may privately tell one, a Semi-colon two; a Colon three: and a Period four.

1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 31 The shepherd had told all his sheep.

1853 S. Nash Digest Decisions Supreme Court Ohio 647 The payer is not bound to count out the money; it is sufficient that..enough was offered to the party; the law requires of the payee to tell the money.

1866 A. Edersheim Golden Diary xxxii. 257 What is added [in Psalm 22] of telling or counting all His bones..has been so literally fulfilled, and that only in Christ, that [etc.].

1895 A. Patterson Man & Nature on Broads 123 Says she, ‘Doan't yow tell (count) yer chickens afore yer hatch 'em.’

1919 H. Bayley Archaic Eng. (1920) xii. 682 Even to-day the shepherds of the Borrowdale district tell their sheep in the old British numerals.

1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 136/2 Thoo'll hae a bonny job ti tell em all.

b. transitive. spec. To count (voters or votes). Also intransitive.In later use chiefly with reference to the formal reporting of votes in a legislative assembly; cf. teller n. 2b.to tell noses: see nose n. Phrases 2d.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count people

tell1511

muster1565

poll1649

to tell off1727

census1881

1511 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 4 Foster desyred off the mayre..to tell the fremen..for thalecc'on off a alderman;..they were men truly told.

1647 Jrnls. House of Lords 9 Mar. (1771) IX. 70/1 The Lord Della Warr and the Lord North were appointed to tell the Votes.

1669 A. Marvell Let. 20 Nov. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 91 The Tellers for the Ayes chanced to be very ill reckoners so that they were forced to tell severall times over.

1700 P. Danet Compl. Dict. Greek & Rom. Antiq. at Suffragium Having done, they told the Suffrages; and the Crier said with a loud voice; Prærogativa renunciat talem Consulem.

1789 Gentleman's Mag. Aug. 696 (heading) Mr. Travis's Exactness in telling Votes.

1870 Daily News 7 May 2/1 After the division Mr. Dodson brought to the knowledge of the Committee the circumstance that he had appointed Sir H. B. a teller, but that that hon. baronet had refused to tell.

1899 Jrnl. House of Commons 17 May 154 214/1 The House was told by Mr. Speaker, and, twenty-four members only being present, Mr. Speaker retired from the Chair until four of the clock, when the House was again told.

1966 National Assembly Official Rep. (Republic of Kenya) 10 29 Nov. 2112 I have explained that when it comes to telling the votes we take one of each side to tell on each side.

2003 Eng. Hist. Rev. 118 590 Two of his colleagues in the high court of justice..appear to have agreed, telling the votes of MPs who wished that day to send a reply to the upper house by the hands of their lordships' own messengers.

c. transitive. To use (rosary beads or the like) as an aid to counting prayers as an act of devotion, esp. in the Roman Catholic Church (see also to tell one's beads at bead n. 2b); to recite (prayers) in this way.Also in allusive and extended use, as to tell tears: to weep.

ΚΠ

1588 J. Aske Elizabetha Triumphans sig. F^v They told their Beades so oft..as that they fell asleepe, And so left off to perseuere in prayers.

1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 551 They annoint beades whereuppon they tell their prayers.

1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper iii. 188 Telling the panes of glasse, as fast as a Papist doth his Beads.

1651 T. L. To Church of Rome in Πολύπενϑεος Θρηνωδία 18 Thou..canst not goe downe and sit, and tell tears with him.

a1735 Earl of Haddington 40 Select Poems (1753) xvii. 131 When a nun and frier Are left together in a cell,..they do something else than tell Their rosary.

1760 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy II. xvii. 123 Cross himself;—tell his beads;—be a good Catholick.

1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 265 I..see nothing..but people telling their beads.

1841 C. Dickens Master Humphrey's Clock III. 421 How often have I listened to it [sc. the clock] as it told the beads of time, and wondered at its constancy!

1852 D. Rock Church our Fathers III. ix. 326 That noble Anglo-Saxon lady Godiva told her prayers on gems threaded together for that purpose.

1857 R. W. Emerson Hermione i On a mound an Arab lay,..And told his amulets.

1912 G. F. Abbott Holy War in Tripoli 274 Some of the older ones tell the beads of meditation, or mark the crawling hours with pinches of snuff.

1935 H. Heslop Last Cage Down iii. i. 285 They marched..to the cemetery where the vicar told his simple beads over the bodies.

1970 P. Huson Mastering Witchcraft ii. 44 Some practitioners..use it as a type of ritual rosary when they are performing a spell with a lot of repetitions in it, telling the knots in it like beads.

1991 G. Eisman tr. S. Ousmane Niiwam & Taaw 31 On mats and sheepskins a congregation of a dozen or so, lined up in a row and a half behind the Imam, were telling their beads.

2013 Sunday World (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 8 Dec. A woman..kneels on the pavement solemnly and silently telling her rosary.

†d. transitive. To have lived for (a specified number of years); to be aged (so much). Cf. number v. 7. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > source or principle of life > age > [verb (transitive)]

beOE

number1590

tell1605

1605 W. Camden Remaines ii. 58 Here lieth he, who was borne and cried, Told threescore yeares, fell sick, and died.

1613 G. Wither Abuses Stript Occas. sig. B7 I grew so old, That I had amost thrice fiue winters told.

1645 J. Milton Epitaph Marchioness of Winchester in Poems 23 Summers three times eight save one She had told.

1770 J. Armstrong Forced Marriage i. ii. 10 How you dictate! But I have told more years than you, have seen A little more of life too; and 'tis hard If old experience has not taught me something.

1825 C. Lamb in London Mag. June 217 The daughter of my old friend..having attained the womanly age of nineteen, was conducted to the church by her..cousin.., who told some few years older.

1855 Ladies' Compan. June 303/1 In age, he could barely have told twenty years.

18.

†a. transitive. To reckon up or calculate the total amount or value of (money or other things); to count up. Obsolete.Not always easily distinguishable from sense 17.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count valuable items

tellOE

to tell over1579

society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (transitive)] > reckon up

tellOE

tail1377

foot1491

tailye1497

to tell over1579

total1716

tot1770

OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xiv. 28 Hwylc eower wyle timbrian anne stypel, hu ne sytt he ærest & teleð [OE Lindisf. Gospels getelles; L. conputat] þa andfengas þe him behefe synt.

c1225 (?OE) Soul's Addr. to Body (Worcester) (Fragm. B) l. 6 Hwar beoþ nu þeo pundes þurh [pa]newes igædered? (Heo weren monifolde bi markes itolde.)

c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 2615 Þei wore on a litel stunde Grethet, als men mithe telle a pund.

?c1430 (c1400) Rule St. Francis (Corpus Cambr.) in F. D. Matthew Eng. Wks. Wyclif (1880) 46 (MED) Þei wolen telle gold and money.

c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 85 Forto nombre and telle the quantite and porcion of everie manis part that they broughte.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. HHHvii If I shulde tell money or carue wryte or sowe any subtyll worke, whiche requireth singlar or speciall study.

1594 T. Lodge & R. Greene Looking Glasse sig. B3^v Come sir will you dispatch and tell your mony.

1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem i. f. 36 Quhen he is fourtene ȝeares compleit or quhen he can number and tell silver.

1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 92 What it [sc. his cargo] really amounted to, I knew not, for I never told it.

1830 J. F. Cooper Water Witch I. ix. 158 Didst say just eighty? But spare thyself the trouble of looking for the memorandum; I will tell the gold myself.

1897 R. D. Blackmore Dariel xxxi. 268 Grace, like a miser telling his moidores, was entering the upshot upon a white slate.

b. transitive. To count out (pieces of money) in payment; (hence) to pay (money). Now only with down or out: see to tell down at Phrasal verbs 1, to tell out 1 at Phrasal verbs 1.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > payment > pay money or things [verb (transitive)] > count or weigh out in payment

reckonOE

tell?a1300

weigh1382

number1474

?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 133 (MED) Hi casten hond to purse, þe panes beþ itold.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1993 So michel fe ðor is hem told, He hauen him [sc. Joseph] bogt, he hauen sold.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4835 We..haue..Al redi penijs for to tell If we moght find her oght to sell.

c1480 (a1400) St. Matthias 270 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 230 He [h]is master to þame sald, for thretty pennys to hym talde.

?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) 41 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 230 They paid him tributes many tolde thowsands That they might live in their lande.

1621 T. W. tr. S. Goulart Wise Vieillard 84 His promise should passe for ready pay, and for money told on the nayle.

1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 44 He told the Money into my Hand.

1745 Proc. Old Bailey 27 Feb. 83/1 She saw her landlady tell the money into the purse.

1872 Appletons' Jrnl. 10 Aug. 160/1 ‘There!’ said she, telling the money into Howlet's palm, ‘yer paid!’

1909 C. Lee Our Little Town (1912) 251 She..told the money into his disengaged hand.

†c. intransitive. To be counted. Also: to amount to (see also to tell up at Phrasal verbs 1). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > enumerate, reckon, or calculate [verb (intransitive)] > amount or be equal to

goeOE

risec1175

amount1399

mountc1400

to come to ——?a1425

draw1425

reach1431

to run to ——1528

surmount1551

to come unto ——1562

arise1594

to equivalize account1647

tell1671

sum1721

reckon1783

count1819

number1842

to add up1850

to add up to1853

to work out1867

total1880

to tot up1882

the world > relative properties > quantity > amount to a quantity or amount [verb (transitive)]

waxc1330

amountc1350

amount1399

to make up1504

to run to ——1528

to make out1535

sum1609

amound1642

tella1794

size1917

1671 R. Head & F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue III. xviii. 262 To walk through Cheapside, or Lombard-street, with little or no money in my pocket, and see..so great a quantity of Jacobus'es and other Gold, either lying in their Glass-Cases, or telling on the Compters.

1774 E. Burke Let. in Corr. (1961) III. 39 Lord Verney..has told in Parliament including himself for four Members.

a1794 S. Blamire Meeting in Poet. Wks. (1842) 215 Our butter tells to fourteen pun'.

III. To account, or estimate, qualitatively.

†19. transitive. To consider (something) to be, or be equivalent to, what is described in the associated complement or phrase; = account v. 6. With object complement; also with for or (in early use) to. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > appraise, estimate [verb (transitive)] > consider to be, account as

telleOE

talec897

seeOE

letc1000

holdc1200

reckon1340

aima1382

accounta1387

counta1387

judgec1390

takea1400

countc1400

receivec1400

existimatec1430

to look on ——?c1430

makec1440

reputea1449

suppose1474

treatc1485

determinea1513

recount?c1525

esteem1526

believe1533

estimate?1533

ascribe1535

consider1539

regard1547

count1553

to look upon ——1553

take1561

reck1567

eye?1593

censure1597

subscribe1600

perhibit1613

behold1642

resent1642

attributea1657

fancy1662

vogue1675

decount1762

to put down1788

to set down1798

rate1854

have1867

mean1878

eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) iii. 35 He fleah ðæt rice, & tealde hine selfne his suiðe unwierðne [L. indignum se prius considerans].

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 251 Ðeah ðe hwa fede ænne ðearfan oððe ma for godes naman, hu mæg he þæt to micclum tellan?

OE Wulfstan False Gods (Hatton 113) (1957) 222 Þas manfullan men..wæron getealde for ða mærostan godas þa on ðam dagum.

c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 639 Son se þu telest [a1250 Titus telles] te betere þen an oðer,..þu..brekest ti wedlac towart godd.

a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 118 (MED) Ich telle him for a dote.

c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 1110 (MED) Y telle þat man a conioun Þat to þe ȝiueþ ani listening.

?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 2761 If any man did þam wo, it was told [a1450 Lamb. teld] for felonye.

1411 Rolls of Parl.: Henry IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1411 §14. m. 14 They schalle tellen hem wel payed with favour and grace.

c1430 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1882) iii. l. 814 Wordeli selynesse Which clerkis tellyn fals felicite.

a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 4132 ‘Doo way,’ quod the king,..‘I tel hir myne.’

a1525 Eng. Conquest Ireland (Trin. Dublin) (1896) 2 Leynyster, that is I-told þe fifte parte of Irland.

†20. intransitive and transitive. With adverb or pronoun of quantity: to think much, little, etc., of; to set much or little store by. Also transitive: to have (a specified estimate) of (chiefly with tale). Also with to. Obsolete.to tell (little, etc.) price of: see price n. 4a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > appraise, estimate [verb (transitive)] > view in a certain way

findOE

telllOE

to take for ——a1393

receivec1400

notec1440

reputec1475

esteem1532

estimate1609

relish1617

set1648

resent1649

contemplate1785

lOE tr. Honorius Augustodunensis Elucidarium in R. D.-N. Warner Early Eng. Homilies (1917) 141 Eall þæt is for þan gode mannen, þæt heo ascunigen & lytel tellen & unwurð of þan wele þe þa yfela mæn byð of swa swyðe asadede.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 147 On twa wise Mon mei forlete world winne:..an oðer is þet he telle swa lutel tale þer of þet he hit nawicht ne luuie.

c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Royal) (1981) 40 Hire þuhte god to habben monie under hire & beon icleopet lefdi þet feole telleð welto.

c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 793 Telstu bi me þe wurs forþan Þat ich bute anne craft nekan?

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7542 (MED) Vor bote a man conne frenss, me telþ of him lute.

a1400 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Egerton) (1966) l. 760 (MED) Of his lyf tolde he not a beene.

c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 2178 (MED) Thei tolde right nauȝt of thyn awe.

a1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Tanner) (1871) l. 326 The fowles smale..etyn as that natur wolde enclyne As worm or thing of which I tel no tale.

a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xlv. l. 38 This peple, he seide ful Schortly, Nis non thing Forto tellen by.

a1500 Partenay (Trin. Cambr.) l. 3029 (MED) Thys Geaunt noght told of hym in no degre.

a1500 (c1380) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 468 Whanne þey tellen more bi a cronycle of foly..þan þey tellen bi cristis lawe.

21.

a. intransitive. Of an argument, circumstance, piece of information, etc.: to have weight or influence in favour of (also for) or against a particular point of view, candidate, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > operation upon something > exert operative influence [verb (intransitive)] > have influence

tell1763

1763 Appeal in behalf G. Johnstone 28 I have quoted a passage above, that seems to tell against myself.

1770 London Evening Post 22 Dec. Does not this argument tell in favour of what these Honourable Gentlemen call a restraint on the press?

1783 Morning Herald 6 Aug. They speak..in a very high tone to the Court of France, thinking that when out of office, this will tell well for them.

1850 E. P. Whipple Ess. & Rev. (ed. 3) I. 213 Examples which tell against kirk as well as against church.

1870 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) I. App. 648 It tells somewhat against his interpretation.

1955 Times 22 Aug. 2/4 It was the way they took their chances on the greens that told so heavily in their favour.

1994 H. Burton Leonard Bernstein ii. xvii. 160 It has..been suggested that his undoubted Jewishness and his rumored homosexuality also told against him with the orchestra's trustees.

b. intransitive. More generally: to be effective or efficacious; to have the desired effect; to have significance, to be of account, to count; (formerly also) †to make an impression, be impressive (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > operation upon something > exert operative influence [verb (intransitive)]

imprest1652

bear1658

evirtuate1676

tell1779

to come into ——1881

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)]

reckeOE

recka1250

attainc1374

beforcec1375

pertaina1382

concern1477

import1539

signifya1616

to trench into (unto)1621

to bear (a) (great) state1623

urge1654

relate1655

bulk1672

refer1677

argufy1751

to be no small drinka1774

tell1779

reckon1811

to count for (much, little, nothing, etc.)1857

to stand for something (or nothing)1863

shout1876

count1885

mind1915

rate1926

the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > be efficacious [verb (intransitive)] > be valid or count for something

servec1475

tell1779

1779 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 13 July Our guns told well on both sides; we were soon left destitute of rigging and sails.

1783 Public Advertiser 7 Oct. 2/2 Yet strange to tell it, this Distinction, which as the Players call it, tells most forcibly, Garrick overlooked.

1789 Oracle 16 July The Jew's blows told so well about the head and face, that, short as the time was, poor Jack was quite a changeling.

1797 Monthly Mag. 3 546 Every blow that they receive upon their projecting surface, tells.

1811 C. Lamb Genius & Char. Hogarth in Wks. (1895) 277 Everything in the print, to use a vulgar expression, tells.

1812 Sporting Mag. 39 102 Several blows of consequence told.

1833 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Loire 24 These peculiarities make the place tell well in an outside view.

1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. iii. 123 Martin Lightfoot saw that his appeal to the antipathies of race had told.

1892 H. James Lesson of Master 1 The crimson dress which made so vivid a spot, told so as a ‘bit of colour’ amid the fresh, rich green.

1960 A. Duggan Family Favourites (1973) v. 89 We cast our javelins just as the line met, so that nearly every one told.

1984 A. Brookner Hotel du Lac (1985) iii. 49 Now, Edith, he had said, wiping her eyes.., this is when character tells.

2011 E. Cooper Songs of Earth (2013) xxxii. 422 Strike for the heartwood, and make each blow tell.

c. intransitive. To have a noticeable deleterious effect (on or upon someone or something); to take its toll.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > do harm [verb (intransitive)] > affect disadvantageously

ruba1586

tell1816

1816 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 12 146 This greatly augmented temperature soon began to tell on the people, and gave rise to many cases of cholera and of ardent fever.

1866 ‘M. Harland’ Sunnybank xi. 133 Anxiety and suspense are beginning to tell upon her strength and spirits.

1877 R. H. Roberts Harry Holbrooke of Holbrooke Hall ii. 33 Going..at a pace..that began to tell upon the horses.

1904 H. O. Sturgis Belchamber (1986) xii. 160 The two railway journeys would in themselves have told on him.

1934 Rotarian Jan. 9/2 When the fresh air and the excitement of the trip begins to tell, and you feel that lunch hour is near.

1996 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 23 May 9/1 Charming as ever he is but I must report that the demands of running a busy city centre bar are beginning to tell on him.

2011 P. Popham Lady & Peacock iv. v. 331 As the years passed and every visa application after 1995 was turned down, the strain began to tell.

Phrases

P1. With tale. See also sense 20.

a. to tell one's tale: to relate one's story; (also) to say what one has to say, to deliver one's message.Quot. 1645 probably belongs here, though some editors of Milton have referred it to sense 17, taking it as ‘counts his number or sum (i.e. of sheep)’.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > message > send a message or messenger [verb (transitive)] > deliver one's message

to tell one's taleOE

society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > tell a story [verb (intransitive)]

to tell one's taleOE

narrate1795

to spin a yarn1819

yarn1859

to spin a twist1867

OE Royal Charter: William I to Archbishops, Bishops, & Others, supporting Rights of Abbot Baldwin in D. C. Douglas Feudal Documents Abbey Bury St. Edmunds (1932) 53 Se biscop tealde ful gerædelice his tale gif hit soð wære.

c1330 (?a1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) p. 552 Þer com þe fischer priueliche, & puked þemperour softliche: His tale to him he told.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 3174 Sorwfulli to that sche preide He tolde his tale.

c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 3140 (MED) Tofore þe kyng on knee he duelleþ, And gentillich his tale he telleþ.

a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (1999) II. l. 11300 Many men in pleting..to telle her tale abaisshed be.

1539 R. Morison Invective ayenste Treason sig. F They..dyd moch wonder that day, to here him tel his tale.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 252 Good vncle tell your tale, I haue done.

1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 33 And every Shepherd tells his tale Under the Hawthorn in the dale.

1790 Edinb. Herald 8 Sept. 1/4 The Gaberlunzie tirils my sneck, And shiv'ring tells his waefu' tale.

1883 Cent. Mag. Nov. 86/2 He knows all their secrets,—butcher, baker, coal-dealer, tailor, milliner, mantua-maker, servants, all tell their tales to him.

1953 Life 8 June 35/1 To protect his honor and his children, Georgescu had told his tale to the State Department.

2001 N.Y. Times 3 June v. 16/1 The crime took place at 1 p.m., and I went to the Marylebone Police Station and told my tale to a harried sergeant.

b. to tell tales: see tale n. 3c. to tell tales out of school: see school n.¹ Phrases 6.

c. to tell the tale.

(a) In various phrases expressing the fact of having survived a dangerous experience and therefore being able to recount or reflect upon it (esp. in to live to tell the tale); also in extended use.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > fabrication of statement or story > invent, concoct [verb (transitive)]

forgec1386

contrivec1400

commentc1450

dissimule1483

devisea1535

invent1535

fable1553

coin1561

to make upc1650

manufacture1700

to tell the tale1717

fabricate1779

concoct1792

fob1805

mythologize1851

fabulate1856

phoney1940

1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. xii. 86 All Troy must perish,..Nor shall a Trojan live to tell the Tale.

1790 E. Umfreville Present State Hudson's Bay 8 It is..surprizing any should be left alive to tell the tale.

1827 N.-Y. Mirror 7 July 400/2 They'll wonder—not that I have loved—But that I've lived to tell the tale.

1875 C. A. Jones Stories for Christian Year VI. 69 She must have gone down sudden like; there ain't a man left to tell the tale.

1915 E. Wharton Let. 12 Jan. (1988) 346 As she walked through the whole length & breadth of the American ambulance, & survived to tell the tale, I take the rosiest view of her health.

1991 G. Burn Alma Cogan (1992) vi. 112 Tony's dead... Ronnie's still around to tell the tale.

2006 Nuts 11 Aug. 10/2 Can you tell how it's going to end? Will everyone get blown away or will they all live to tell the tale?

(b) British colloquial. To tell a false or exaggerated story, esp. in order to evoke a sympathetic response. Now rare or disused.

ΚΠ

1905 A. M. Binstead Mop Fair xii. 208 No art known to moderns..which is netting more money for its artificers than the art of ‘telling the tale’.

1928 Daily Express 15 Dec. 7/4 Moneylender at Bow County Court. What did you tell me when you borrowed the money? Debtor: Oh, we all tell the tale when we want money.

1968 ‘J. le Carré’ Small Town in Germany xiii. 204 He couldn't half tell the tale... He could tell you any bloody tale and you believed it.

1979 R. Blythe View in Winter iv. 175 I'm not tellin' the tale. We all went to the war.

P2. to tell (the) truth: (used parenthetically) (a) indeed, truly (used to emphasize a statement) (b) to be frank, to be honest (used esp. to preface an admission of something). Similarly truth (also sooth) to tell.See also if (the) truth be told at truth n. and adv. Phrases 3c.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > truthfulness, veracity > [adverb] > as emphasis

God (it) wot?c1225

goddot?a1289

sooth to sayc1330

truth (also sooth) to tella1375

honestly1819

honest Indian1854

truthfully1854

honest Injun1857

on the level1872

straight1874

honest1876

square dinkum1888

no kidding1901

straight-up1963

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 34 Þe couherdes hound..fast þider fulwes, & sone as he it seiȝ, soþe forto telle, he gan to berke on þat barn.

a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 160 But trewþe for to telle whan time come of daye [etc.].

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 1598 To telle trowthe, Sche..Were worthi thanne to be blamed.

c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) ii. l. 77 For to telle trouthe..me thynketh That no manere meyntenour shulde..haue lordis leuere þe lawe to apeire.

1553 C. Tye Actes of Apostles (new ed.) viii. sig. G.vi A certayne man, there was whose name Was Simon truth to tell.

?1566 W. P. tr. C. S. Curio Pasquine in Traunce f. 43^v If these newes displeased them, it doth the more please me, for (to tell the truth) they are growen into suche a deadly hatred with me..that [etc.].

1582 J. Yates Castell of Courtesie f. 49 But sooth to tell, Time with her Time can euery thing bestowe.

1613 F. Beaumont Knight of Burning Pestle iv. i. sig. H2 Lady before I go, I must remember Your fathers Officers, who truth to tell, Haue beene about me very diligent.

1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. xiii. 133 Mother Cunny (to tell the truth) was the Nick-name of that Corpulent Matron.

1756 D. Hume Let. 20 Apr. (1932) I. 229 But to tell the truth, we people in the country (for such you Londoners esteem our city) are apt to be troublesome to you people in the town.

a1777 S. Foote Maid of Bath (1778) iii. 57 Dost think one could not get her on easier terms than on marriage?..To tell truth, Billy, I have always had that in my head.

1837 Flowers of Fiction 235/1 To tell the truth, you're looking very ill.

1855 H. Rogers Ess. II. vii. 323 Sooth to tell, the narrative of the achievements..draws largely on our faith.

1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 454/3 It is called The Sorcerer, and, truth to tell, it is very wild, even wilder than the farce at the Haymarket.

1903 Lippincott's Monthly Mag. Aug. 230 To tell the truth, Barrett's calm philosophy irritated her not a little.

1946 C. Bush Case Second Chance xv. 209 And, to tell the truth, the more I delved into those dark obscured possibilities of the past, the more I began to feel something of horror.

1971 J. Blume Then again, maybe I Won't (1979) 38 To tell the truth I don't know how I would manage in Rosemont without my ten-speed bike.

1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 331 I am working on banishing the starter from my dinner-partying life. (Truth to tell, I don't have much of a dinner-partying life.)

2005 J. MacGregor Sunday Money i. 29 It was all pretty unspectacular, to tell the truth.

P3.

a. to tell a person so: to tell a person that which has just been referred to, or is indicated by the context (cf. so adv. and conj. 2a).

ΚΠ

?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 405 It is opinly knowe þat a wickid man dooþ yuel, & his owne conscience telliþ him so.

?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 26 I tolde hym so, and ever he seide, nay.

1532 T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere ii. p. cxl Tyndale sayth that saynt Paule chose hym bycause he found in hym more wysdome, sadnes, and vertue, then in the aged men of that place. And Tyndale doeth well to tell vs so.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iii. vii. 101 I was told so by one that knows him.

1674 C. Cotton tr. B. de Montluc Commentaries vi. 302 Sir, we know very well you have been told so.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. lxiii. 300 You know..that I have an open and free heart, and, naturally, have as open and free a countenance; at least my complimenters have told me so.

1840 Daily Picayune (New Orleans) 18 Sept. 2/2 The persons rightly concluded it was an effort to ‘rope in’, and told Trainer so.

1910 R. Kipling Rewards & Fairies 187 Senecas aren't Hurons, they're Iroquois, of course, and Toby told him so.

1995 W. Marvel in G. W. Gallagher Fredericksburg Campaign 6 Officers seemed to convince themselves that they had seen it coming all along, and as soon as Burnside was safely dead, some came forward to claim that they had told him so.

b. I told you so: often used to comment on the fulfilment of a prediction made by the speaker, or to remind the person addressed that he or she has previously been warned that some (typically unfortunate) event or circumstance would ensue, particularly if a given course of action was followed.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > [phrase] > I told you so

I told you so1616

1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iv. iv, in Wks. I. 572 I told you so, sir, and you would not beleeue me.

1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. ii. 26 I told you so! whisperingly said I, turning to the women; shaking my head with a face of great concern and pity.

1797 M. Robinson Walsingham IV. lxxxi. 156 ‘Heaven knows, that my heart is incapable of changing.’ ‘I told you so,’ interrupted Lady Arabella, ‘and it was vastly presumptuous in you to dispute my opinion.’

1831 tr. L. A. F. De Bourrienne Life N. Bonaparte III. xix. 164 Staps..said: ‘Am I not well, Sir?’ Corvisart told the emperor that nothing ailed him. ‘I told you so,’ said Staps.

1875 H. B. Stowe We & our Neighbors xxxv. 331 Would we be willing to have somebody topple headlong into destruction for the sake of being able to say, ‘I told you so’?

1936 M. Plowman Faith called Pacifism 81 Mr. Lloyd George, as the wild cat of the House of David, said: ‘I told you so.’

2006 Baltimore Sun 20 Aug. f5/3 As mercury builds up in our predator fish and plastic litters the ocean, one can imagine Humboldt hovering in the afterlife, gently muttering, ‘I told you so.’

c. (I) told you so: an utterance of the phrase ‘I told you so’, or an observation equivalent to this; a person given to making such observations; also used attributively to designate a look, manner, etc., with the same meaning or implication as the spoken phrase. Similarly we told you so, etc.

ΚΠ

1823 Niles' Weekly Reg. 30 Aug. 406/2 It is a ‘prophecy after the fact’,..the ‘I told you so’ of the old lady, when one of her children called out ‘mother, mother, the hogs are eating the grindstone!’

1830 A. M. Morgan & H. M. Jones Horatio in Search of Wife iv. 57 Granby raised his eyes to those of Horatio, with an ‘I told you so’ look.

1890 Puck (N.Y.) 24 Dec. 302/2 What can we say..that does not convey, in the light of what we have said aforetime, a strong suggestion of ‘told-you-so’?

1898 Pall Mall Gaz. 9 Mar. 2/2 The journal..assumes its most poker-backed ‘we-told-you-so’ attitude.

1926 P. Whiteman & M. M. McBride Jazz iii. 49 I really did debate whether I hadn't better give up and let the I-told-you-so's, who said jazz would bring me to no good end, have it their own way.

1954 W. Faulkner Fable (1955) 43 His I-told-you-so to the elders.

1962 New Statesman 25 May 768/3 Failure was doubtless foreseen by professional told-you-sos.

1986 ARTnews Nov. 50/1 Self's return to the ICA was a long, loud told-you-so. He proved he can be as nimble as anyone and beholden to none.

1996 R. Drewe Drowner (1998) 56 Angelica tiptoes through this disorder with a queenly, I-told-you-so angle to her eyebrows.

2010 New Yorker 8 Nov. 14/1 Now that he's a success..his many old friends, including me, can share a sweet, told-you-so satisfaction.

I-told-you-so v. (also told-you-so) intransitive to say ‘I told you so’, or make an observation equivalent to this.

ΚΠ

1898 Boston Daily Advertiser 22 Mar. There is a good deal of wholly inappropriate I-told-you-so-ing on the part of our still impenitent free trade friends.

1913 E. A. Baker Miss Mystery vi. 123 The doctor was openly jubilant over her progress, and went about ‘I-told-you-so-ing!’ like an exulting youngster.

1985 Guardian (Nexis) 30 Sept. How they gloated and ‘I-told-you-so'd’ over Working Woman's financial crisis.

2000 R. Robertson Heroes xv. 106 Bayle's mother lectured, cajoled, harangued, hectored, and told-you-so'd, but she didn't cry.

P4. to tell all: to tell, disclose, or reveal everything; (in later use often) spec. to disclose the whole truth about a matter or person, typically divulging secret or confidential details (esp. as part of a published account). Cf. tell-all n. and adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)]

cough1393

wrayc1425

to break a secreta1450

to tell allc1450

to bring (also put) to light1526

to let on1725

to open up1884

to come out of the closet1971

to come out1976

c1450 King Ponthus (Digby) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1897) 12 144 (MED) It were long to tell all, so I lete it passe lyghtly.

?1520 tr. Peter of Luxembourg Next Way to Heuen sig. B.j^v Than tell all thy synnes, for yf y^u hyde ony synnes by the counseyle of suche an aduocate thou lesest thy cause in y^e courte of mercy, & yf y^u tell all y^u arte quyte.

?1553 Respublica (1952) v. x. 63 Insol. Madame onlye Avarice made vs all to fall. Avar. yea? Falle to peaching? naie, then will I tell all.

1620 N. Butler Let. 9 Oct. in V. A. Ives Rich Papers: Lett. Bermuda (1984) 185 They..have given out secretly that if they be not payed to their utmost peny of wages, they will goe to the Spanish Embassador, and tell all.

1668 P. B. tr. ‘L. Fountaine’ Relation Country of Jansenia 46 Their Priests take great delight to hear their Penitents repeat their sins several times. After they have put them to the trouble of telling all, they most often deny them Absolution.

1715 C. Bullock Woman's Revenge iii. 59 Dear, Sir, endeavour to save my Life, and I'll tell all?

1790 T. Holcroft German Hotel ii. 22 Promise not to fleer at me any more, or I'll tell all.

1848 Northwood x. 174 Go away—oh! the priest—I'll confess—I'll tell all—Oh! lost, lost, lost!

1879 Washington Post 24 June 1/5 (headline) The lady's watch found on his person, and her jewelry at the pawnbroker's—he makes a clean breast and tells all.

1920 Photoplay Mag. June 103/1 I shall threaten to tell all if you girls don't stop pestering me. And then you would be sorry—because I wouldn't interest you any more.

1971 J. Lofland Analyzing Social Settings vi. 132 We delude ourselves if we expect very many field workers actually to ‘tell all’ in print.

2002 Independent 2 Nov. 3/3 The Princess..had clung to moments of happiness with the man who later told all in a publishing deal and tried to sell her love letters.

P5. In various uses with specific personal pronouns.

a. With me (also us).

(a) In negative constructions, expressing incredulity, impatience, or (with clause as object) dismay; esp. in don't (also never) tell me (also us).you don't mean to tell me: see mean v.¹ 5.

ΚΠ

1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Iust Censure & Reproofe sig. D.ij^v Neuer tell me, that he is too graue to trouble himselfe with Martins conceits.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. i. 1 Neuer tell me, I take it much vnkindly.

1675 R. Head Nugæ Venales (ed. 2) 44 Sir, said his man it is early day yet, the clock having but just now struck ten; Pish, sayes he, don't tell me of ten by the clock, when it hath struck Twelve by my stomack.

1729 T. Odell Smugglers i. 19 Both. We..find it can't be afforded. Conscience. Phoo, pox, don't tell me so; I know what your Wine costs ye; a meer Trifle.

1764 S. Foote Patron iii. 67 Not to be spoke with! Don't tell me, Sir; he must, he shall.

a1843 R. Haines Richard Plantagenet (?1883) iii. iii. 18 Nay, never tell me; I won't suffer this melancholy.

1861 ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner ix. 143 Not come to live in this house? Don't tell me.

1925 C. Archer tr. S. Undset Mistress of Husaby ii. i. 119 Nay, now, never tell me you are to be our King, Erling Vidkunssön!

1944 M. Laski Love on Supertax iv. 52 Who's your latest pick-up?..Not Sir Hubert Porkington! Don't tell me you've actually hooked him!

1961 E. E. Smith & E. E. Evans Masters of Space (2011) 220 Oh, no. Not again?.. Don't tell us it's Terra again, Dark Lady, please.

1973 Farm & Country 10 Apr. 11/4 ‘Don't tell me we've got to go through that again,’ said one executive member in an audible groan.

1989 I. Asimov Nemesis (1990) 94 You're not going to tell me she was a telepath.

2012 S. Townsend Woman who went to Bed for Year iv. 30 Don't tell me you've got religion, Eva. It always ends in tears.

(b) colloquial. tell me (also us) another (one): used in response to a statement that is believed to be false or highly improbable, implying that the speaker is telling a lie or a joke.

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1891 Sporting Times 7 Feb. Dook:..The place belongs to me. Sass: Belongs to you! Oh, scissors, don't say so! Tell us another, dear, before you go. Dook: I'll take my oath it does.

1911 Munsey's Mag. Dec. 361 ‘That's going some!’ Staff admitted admiringly. ‘Tell me another one.’

1954 B. Frechtman & J. T. Nile tr. L.-F. Céline Guignol's Band 250 Do you mean to tell me that these people are going to win the war?.. Ah! tell me another! You're joking!

1991 A. Campbell Sidewinder xii. 148 ‘I've always looked on you as a friend—perhaps the only true friend I have.’‘Come off it,’ I snorted. ‘Tell me another one.’

2008 Pittsburgh Tribune Rev. (Nexis) 25 Dec. It can be difficult to make dinner reservations over the phone... ‘When they hear “Fred Claus”, they say, “Oh sure. Yeah. Tell me another.”’

(c) colloquial (originally U.S.). you're telling me (also us): (expressing hearty agreement) there is no need to tell me; I know that only too well. Cf. tell me about it at Phrases 5a(g).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > know [phrase]

don't I know it1839

you're telling me (also us)1921

1921 Amer. Hebrew & Jewish Messenger 4 Feb. 366/2 ‘Rabbi Simon Rosen's son, the most learned scholar in all Minsk!’ ‘You're tellin' me, Mrs. Rosen!’

1930 Alton (Illinois) Evening Tel. 28 July 4/4 She..remarked..: ‘This is a pretty dull party, isn't it?’ The other guest..looked up at Miss Carroll with infinite ennui and said: ‘You're telling me!’

1935 Boys' Life May 13/3 ‘I don't think we'll wait down below to watch it till they come!’ ‘You're telling us!’

1954 Times 16 July 9/4 When he declares that ‘overnutrition has its dangers’..the layman is inclined to reply ‘You're telling me.’

1977 ‘C. Aird’ Parting Breath xvii. 194 ‘Forensic pathologists don't take chances.’ ‘You're telling me,’ said Crosby with audible scorn.

2006 R. Wilson Hidden Assassins vi. 58 ‘This is no cocktail party.’ ‘You're telling me,’ said Consuelo.

(d) colloquial. that's telling me (also us): used in response to a candid, aggressive, or patronizing statement or action; ‘you've made your feelings very clear’, ‘that's put me straight’; ‘that's put me in my place’. Similarly that told me (also us). Also (chiefly British) that's me (also us) told. Cf. that's telling him (also her, etc.) at Phrases 5c.

ΚΠ

1935 Sat. Rev. 27 July 929/2 Her motto is: ‘Eagles Don't breed Doves’. As Commander Madden grimly said to me, ‘That's telling us!’

1937 M. Sims Call it Freedom vii. 108 'Somebody's going to wring your neck one of these days,' she said pleasantly. 'Meaning that you'd like to?' 'No. I need you too badly.' He laughed. 'That's telling me, anyhow.'

1976 M. Jordan Brigham's Way ii. 22 ‘Then we might find there isn't any gold worth bothering about.’ I tipped my hat back. ‘Well that's me told!’

1984 C. Bedford Waiting for Beatles v. 290 ‘MDs like Derek should realize that the next money to be made is with the new groups, not old has-been prima donnas!’ Well, that told me.

2000 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 30 Jan. (Seven Days section) 8/2 ‘It's [sc. chewing gum] like an adult dummy... It shows the creeping infantilism of American pop culture...’ That's us told.

2003 C. Poarch Courage under Fire 220 ‘I don't want to make a mistake and lose the best thing that has ever come into my life...’ ‘I guess that's telling me.’

(e) Originally U.S. now he (also she) tells me (also us): (as an ironic rejoinder) expressing frustration, annoyance, regret, etc., at receiving information which, had it been imparted sooner, would have been helpful but is now of little or no use. Also: sometimes implying that the information received is obvious and does not need to be said. Similarly now you tell me.

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1947 Safety Dec. 240/2 Chorus: Now he tells me! Now he tells me! People wait until it's much too late.

1966 New Society 12 May 9/2 The idiom of the New Yorker..is..full of translated Yiddishisms (‘I should live so long’, ‘Who needs it?’..and ‘Now he tells me’.)

1976 Medicine Hat (Alberta) News 8 Mar. 12/1 Grafitti high on a wall said, ‘Smoking stops you growing’. Underneath, two feet from the ground, someone had added, ‘So now you tell me’.

1990 USA Today (Nexis) 24 Oct. 3 c ‘The red light goes on so we talk... We're not smarter than anybody else, we're just on TV.’ Oh great. Now, you tell us.

2009 S. James Murphy's Law: Series 1 xxv. 238 ‘Don't eat the buffalo wings though. I think they're bad.’ Chris immediately threw the wing he was gnawing on back on the plate. ‘Great. Now you tell me.’

(f) colloquial. you tell me (also us): used rhetorically to express (shared) inability to answer a complex or awkward question.

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1956 W. Armstrong Mutiny Afloat xv. 199 ‘One ruddy quarter of our pay, an' for what reason?..’ ‘You tell us, mate. Your guess is as good as mine.’

1976 A. K. Ramanujan tr. U. R. A. Murthy Samskara iii. ii. 108 In these times, who can spend two rupees for the bus so often, you tell me.

1982 P. Redmond Brookside (Mersey TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 3. 17 Garner... So, you don't want to be here. You've already been given a bad time..from that point, where do we go? Lucy... You tell me.

1993 ‘J. le Carré’ Night Manager (1994) xix. 304 Daniel again interrupted: ‘How do you save the world?’ ‘You tell me, old heart,’ said Corkoran. ‘Dying to know.’

2005 E. Barr Plan B (2006) xxxii. 344 Is it over? You tell me. Is it my baby? She says so, but she would, wouldn't she?

(g) colloquial (originally U.S.). tell me about it: (as an ironic rejoinder, esp. expressing rueful agreement or understanding) ‘I'm well aware of that’, ‘I agree’; ‘you don't have to tell me’.

ΚΠ

1976 J. Guest Ordinary People iii. 16 ‘It helps,’ Lazenby drawls, ‘if you read the crap when it's assigned... Just a friendly hint.’ ‘Tell me about it,’ Van Buren says.

1986 T. Clancy Red Storm Rising (1987) xxiv. 316 ‘There's just something weird about not having the friggin' sun go down.’ ‘Tell me about it.’

1990 J. Francome Stone Cold 117 ‘Personally, I'd be happier watching television back in the hotel.’ ‘Hey, tell me about it. Can I give you a lift back there?’

2002 New Yorker 8 Apr. 97/2 The real-estate agent says to Meg, in the ultimate sales pitch, ‘It's a very emotional property.’ Tell me about it.

2011 D. Kennedy Moment i. 3 ‘The old guy was very stubborn, very proud.’ ‘Tell me about it,’ I said.

b. colloquial. With you.

(a) (I, I'll, I will) tell you what.

(i) Used to introduce (and give some emphasis to) an observation or comment: I will tell you something; I will tell you what is relevant or pertinent. Cf. what pron., adv., int., adj.¹, conj., and n. Phrases 2c.

ΚΠ

?1565 A. Hartwell in tr. W. Haddon Sight of Portugall Pearle Pref. sig. A5 As for Diuynitie, I wyll tell you what. it is so handled of .ii. men, in .ii. bookes, within these .ii. yeres, that better it had bene the gospel had neuer peped out.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. i. 51 My lord, Ile tell you what, If my yong Lord your sonne, haue not the day [etc.] .

1661 A. Brome Songs & Other Poems 190 But I will tell you what; Either these slaves forswear, and lye, Or if they did so often dye, They've more lives then a cat.

1700 T. Brown Amusements Serious & Comical ix. 137 I'll tell you what; he's the Emptiest, Dullest, Shallowest Monster, within the Bills of Mortality.

1797 Two Cousins 12 I'll tell you what, Sarah, boys will be boys, do what we will, and it is not in their nature to like old people.

1826 Wilhelmina i. i. 6 As for my head's being turned, I tell you what, sir, there's nothing in it.

1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold i. ii. 25 I tell thee what, my child; Thou hast misread this merry dream of thine.

1909 W. R. George Junior Republic (1910) xiv. 304 Every one of them would vote against it and I'll tell you what, in a straight out and out fight, we wouldn't even get a look in with such a bill.

1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 174 ‘Who was that tart you had round here before?’ ‘Gloria?’ ‘Yeah. Tell you what, she's got a right pair on her.’

2008 Independent 13 Sept. (Traveller section) 13/5 I got this 1992 Adelsheim—I tell you what, it knocked my socks off.

(ii) Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal: I will tell you what is to be done, what we might do, etc.

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1732 W. Aston Restauration King Charles II iii. 54 I'll tell you what let us do; let's pull old Oliver out of his Grave, and fix his Head upon Westminster-hall.]

1753 C. Clive Rehearsal ii. 34 Oh, I'll tell you what; let's set Odelove upon her to enquire into the Plot of her Play.

1763 A. Murphy Citizen i. ii. 17 I like you—I like un master Philpot—I like un—I'll tell you what, let un talk to her now.

1825 T. Roscoe tr. F. Sacchetti in Ital. Novelists I. 217 The one said, ‘I will tell you what: let us go on to the next inn, and, perhaps, after a good dinner we shall remember them better.’

1856 Dwight's Jrnl. Music 19 July 123/1 That beautiful cap... I tell you what, let me have the cap; I will give you four gulden for it.

1875 R. Browning Inn Album i. 13 The happy flash Followed... ‘'Tell you what—Let's turn their flank, try things on t' other side!’

1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage xlix. 249 I tell you what, I'll try and come over to Paris again one of these days and I'll look you up.

1967 W. Soyinka Kongi's Harvest i. 39 Tell you what. You get all the leaders of the dissident groups to appear on the dais with me tomorrow.

1996 A. Ghosh Calcutta Chromosome (1997) ix. 57 ‘I'll tell you what, Ant,’ said Murugan... ‘I'll read you all three volumes some day when we're on an around-the-world cruise.’

2005 D. Cowie Owen Noone & Marauder 15 I tell you what. Since you guys are spending so much today, I'll throw this in free.

(b) Originally Irish English. I'm telling you: used to introduce (and give some emphasis to) an observation or comment; also used parenthetically.

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1825 Universal Songster I. 255/2 ‘Och! don't be coming here..with your blarney about sending yourself what's not wanted at all,’ says I; ‘so you're out, I'm telling you!’

1884 Pract. Phonographer May 195/2 It's a pair of canary birds in a gilt cage, and a fine thing all around I'm telling you.

1889 Rocky Mountain News (Denver) 1 July 3/7 I have had occasion to call on ‘my uncle’ in almost every large city in the country..and I'm telling you St. Louis is the hardest place I ever struck.

1903 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 682/1 ‘Corodale not here!’ ‘Not since Saturday was a fortnight, I'm telling you, unless he sunk over the head in the sand-drift at the door,’ said the innkeeper.

1950 E. L. Stewart Men should Weep i. i, in Sc. People's Theatre (Assoc. Scottish Lit. Studies) (2008) 58 If I've got tae cry on ye again, it'll be the worse for ye, I'm tellin ye.

1990 J. Eberts & T. Ilott My Indecision is Final xxiii. 239 Look, I'm telling you I'm really seriously interested.

2008 Total Politics Aug. 8/2 He beams across the table... ‘This guy's been very brave, I'm telling you,’ he says.

(c) colloquial. what did I tell you?: used to convey the speaker's belief that his or her earlier assertion or prediction has been proved correct.

ΚΠ

1833 J. Neal Down-easters I. v. 57 I'm of your opinion said he..—nothing can be more ridiculous than cutting a woman's throat in her sleep... Ah—ha! what did I tell you? cried the individual whose opinion he had so handsomely adopted.

1898 G. B. Shaw Man of Destiny in Plays: Pleasant & Unpleasant II. 322 Napoleon. There can be no doubt that the man who tricked you out of your charge was..her brother. Lieutenant. What did I tell you, General! What did I tell you!

1915 C. Drew & I. B. Evans Grafter 68 ‘The second horse don't count... He's..liable to turn it up any minute. What did I tell you,’ he cried, as the..horse fell back.

1987 F. Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes 357 That's her, all right. What did I tell you? The poor thing doesn't have a full string of fish.

2003 E. M. Doolittle Silver Lett. vi. 48 Anita shared the news with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ben who said, ‘What did I tell you, Anita? Always listen to your Uncle Ben.’

c. colloquial. that's telling him (also her, etc.): expressing support for or approval of a forceful statement that someone has made; ‘that's put him or her straight’; ‘that's right’. Similarly you tell him (also her, etc.). Cf. that's telling me (also us) at Phrases 5a(d).

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1917 J. T. Foote Dumb-bell of Brookfield iii. 102 Peter took the telegram and read it carefully. He looked up with blazing eyes. 'That's tellin' 'em!' he said.

1941 J. Balch Lamps at High Noon v. 179 ‘If Parano's won't honor us, why we won't honor them.’ ‘That's telling them, friend.’

1949 M. Lampell Hero vii. 140 ‘On the street I have to stop him from pinching the behinds of women.’ ‘Never mind the women,’ Manuel said, ‘the women do not complain.’ ‘You tell him, baby,’ Joey smiled.

1983 C. Luckham Trafford Tanzi i. in Plays by Women II. 81/2 ‘Girls don't fight, me Mam says so...’ ‘That's it, you tell her, Sue.’

2004 S. Yocum Price of Admission xliii. 330 ‘Get in the truck, Mitch. My father's life is in danger and I don't plan to sit around here arguing...’ Sally punched the air with her fist. ‘You tell him girl!’

†P6. to tell scorn: to scorn to do something. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > hold in contempt [verb (transitive)] > disdain to do something

disdainc1380

to tell scorn1477

contemn1510

to think (it) scornc1515

to take scorn1575

scorn1605

coya1616

1477 J. Pympe in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 417 The fawcon Which is a-lofte tellith scorne to loke a-down.

1529 J. Frith Pistle Christen Reader f. lv Now is he so far from honouringe of these powers, that he will tell skorne to admitte them to kisse his holye feate.

1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. xxix. f. 59^v And yet I thinke, womens hartes would tell scorne to goe before.

P7. to tell the clock: (a) to count the hours as shown by a clock; to tell the time; †(b) to pass the time idly (cf. tell-clock n. at tell- comb. form 1) (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > inaction > idleness, lack of occupation or activity > be idle or unoccupied [verb (intransitive)]

emptyeOE

to tell the clock1527

idle1668

to kick one's heels1703

twirl1777

gammer1788

to twiddle one's thumbs, or fingers1846

to make (also do) kef1852

goof1932

doss1937

to sit on one's hands1939

to bugger about ——1946

to spin one's wheels1960

1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. b.iii^v/2 Than make fyre vnder it that it may droppe treatably as yf you wolde tell the clock [Ger. du zalen bist wie die glock].

1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 597 Emperours..sate by the Bishops and held their peace, and told the clocke.

?1623 O. Felltham Resolues 215 Like a condemned man, that knowes the date of his dayes, hee lyes telling the clocke, and counting the houre.

1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. iii. 227 [An] Old Dul Sot; wh'had told the Clock, For many years, at Bridewel-Dock.

1738 tr. S. Guazzo Art of Conversat. 14 They are fit for nothing, unless it be to tell the Clock [1586 count the clock], which they always think goes too slowly.

1752 Masquerade No. 1. 141 The joyful father, the deluded lady, and her blithful bridesmaids, all were ready, they told the clock impatiently, no bridegroom came.

1818 S. Woodworth Poems 166 Patrons, how anxious have you told the clock, Waiting impatient for your carrier's knock!

1899 E. Nesbit Treasure Seekers i. 9 H. O. is eight years old, but he cannot tell the clock yet. Oswald could tell the clock when he was six.

1927 M. McMillan Life R. McMillan 103 She loved every instrument that measures space or time; an instinct that..induced her to teach all the children to tell the clock early.

1939 G. Baldry Rabbit Skin Cap iii. 59 Mother tells me to content myself else she'd soon square me up, and starts to try and teach me to tell the clock.

2018 Eastbourne Herald (Nexis) 22 Oct. What excites me is that you will be able to tell the clock from all four angles.

P8. to tell the world.

a. To declare to everyone, to anyone who will listen, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > publish or spread abroad [verb (intransitive)]

to tell the world1555

to blaze one's arms1573

bruit1818

society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (transitive)] > announce openly or assert emphatically

to tell the world1555

renunciate1656

the mind > language > statement > refusal > [verb (transitive)] > decline to receive or accept > angrily

to tell the world1555

to throw (thrust, fling, (etc.)) (something) in a person's face1597

1555 J. Ponet Apologie 148 Ye wold fynde some way to tell the world, that Oecolampadius, Capito, and Munster were munks or fryars and afterward maried men.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. iv. 153 Ile tell the world aloud What man thou art.

1679 L. Addison Life & Death Mahumed xvi. 84 This Heretique..was not asham'd to tell the World, That all he Preached was sent him immediately from Heaven.

1700 J. Flamsteed Let. 11 Dec. in Corr. (1997) II. 874 He that ownes what he received from another tells the world and will have it acknowledged that he is Just and acts honorably.

1781 W. Cowper Table Talk 38 And tell the world..That he, who died below and reigns above, Inspires the song, and that his name is love.

1830 Monthly Repos. Jan. 35 Captain G. has spoken out. He tells the world he deems it his duty to warn them against Smith.

a1871 T. Carlyle in Coll. Lett. T. & J. W. Carlyle (1981) IX. 318 This I cd tell the world, you have not had, for 100 years, any Book that came more direct and flamingly sincere from the heart of a living man.

1956 ‘C. Blackstock’ Dewey Death viii. 169 She persistently told the world about her fiancé, her marriage problems, her piano playing.

1982 New Scientist 9 Sept. 705/1 People who sell electronic equipment for offices have been telling the world about a new kind of computer network.

2010 B. James I am Gold (2011) xxviii. 208 A solitaire [ring]..will tell the world that this is a relationship bound to continue.

b. U.S. colloquial. I'll tell (also I'm telling) the world: used (esp. parenthetically) to emphasize the truth of a statement.

ΚΠ

1917 in Camion Lett. Amer. College Men (1918) xx. 60 I'm telling the world I'm tired.

1918 Washington Post 10 Feb. 4/7 There's enough rubbish in the middle of the road to keep me from trying to go through there again, I'll tell the world!

1923 G. Emery in A. H. Quinn Contemp. Amer. Plays 252 Gee-z—it's a cold night, I'll tell the world.

1937 S. Gluck Delicate Case of Murder iv. 34 ‘When you pinched us, I'm telling the world we were—’ He stopped with his mouth open.

1998 M. Chamberlain in B. McFarland et al. Line of Cutting Women 10 I heard Gran call out across the house, ‘You tired?’ ‘Tired,’ he said. ‘I'll tell the world.’

P9. Scottish, English regional (northern), and Irish English (northern). to be telling: (with non-referential it, chiefly in conditional clauses) to be worth or as good as (so much) to; to be (so much) to the advantage or credit of (a person). Now rare.

ΚΠ

1629 Orkney Witch Trial in County Folk-lore (1903) 3 79 Haid [she] lettin yow abid with your brother it haid bene telling hir xl.£.

1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 213 It were telling your Kin, your Craig was broken.

a1732 T. Boston in Memoirs (1776) App. 1 If the gospel meet with no better entertainment after, than for these three years past, it would be telling many of you, that ye had never seen my face, nor I yours.

1822 A. Sutherland Cospatrick of Raymondsholm II. 8 It wad hae been telling some that are now safe frae skaith gin it had never been blither.

1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. at Tellin' It was tellin' him that he did as ye did.

1875 P. Ponder Kirkcumdoon 85 It wud be tellin' the pairish an' himsel' gin Josey gaed less aboot the Wallace Arms.

1889 H. Johnston Chron. Glenbuckie vii. 80 Weel, it's a gey spite I didna take your advice. It would have been telling me a ten-pound note.

1904 M. Bentinck-Smith in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1905) VI. 59/1 [Ulster] It would have been telling you to have been home an hour ago.

1905 S. R. Crockett Sir Toady Crusoe xxv. 194 It would be tellin' him if he told such-like seldomer, and bowed his head a deal more frequent.

1969 Huntly Express 21 Mar. 2 It's tellin' 'im he's young an' swack.

1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 351/1 It's telling you, it will or would be telling you, it is or would be to your advantage.

P10. colloquial. tell that to the marines and variants: used to express scornful disbelief. Later also tell that to the horse marines, to my Aunt Fanny, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > belief > disbelief, incredulity > expressing disbelief [phrase]

do you mean to say (also to tell me)1763

you don't mean to say (also to tell me)1763

tell that to the marines1806

in a horn1847

you are (or have got to be) joking1907

tie that bull outside or to another ashcan1921

you could have fooled me1926

you wouldn't read about it1950

pull the other one (it's got bells on)1966

1806 J. Davis Post-Captain v. 29 He may tell that to the marines, but the sailors will not believe him.

1820 New Monthly Mag. Dec. 608/1 So also the able-bodied seamen, who think a certain part of their crew mere fruges consumere nati on board a ship, regularly consign all exaggerated narratives and incredible propositions to their ‘willing ears’, according to nostrum illud solenne, ‘You may tell that to the marines.’

1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet II. xiii. 326 Tell that to the marines—the sailors won't believe it.

1844 Bankers' Mag. Nov. 96 The plain honest trader would..advise you, in secret, to ‘tell that to the Horse Marines’.

1864 A. Trollope Small House at Allington II. xi. 114 Is that a story to tell to such a man as me! You may tell it to the marines!

1890 E. D. E. N. Southworth For Woman's Love xxix. 400 Don't dare to talk such sentimental rubbish to me! You can't love him, can't you? Tell that to an idiot, not to me!

1902 J. Conrad in Blackwood's Mag. Dec. 802/2 ‘You shall get nothing from me, because I have nothing of mine to give away now.’ ‘Tell that to the marines!’

1912 Commerc. Telegraphers' Jrnl. Mar. 104/2 The opening paragraph..states that his companies were never in better condition... Tell it to Sweeney!

1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xii. [Cyclops] 317 Well! says J. J. We have Edward the peacemaker now.—Tell that to a fool, says the citizen. There's a bloody sight more pox than pax about that boyo.

1928 J. P. McEvoy Show Girl xiii. 193 He..says it doesn't mean anything... You can tell that to my Aunt Fanny I says to him.

1936 Sandusky (Ohio) Reg. 7 Jan. 6/4 ‘My vote is not for sale,’ Schade answered. ‘Go tell that to the birds,’ was the comment of Hart.

1967 D. Francis Blood Sport xiv. 172 ‘When this is over you can sleep for a fortnight.’ ‘Yeah?’ he said sarcastically. ‘Tell it to the marines.’

1988 N. Gavin Phantom from Past xiii. 66 ‘So why did you leave it then?’ ‘To come and live with Aunt Isobel...’ ‘Oh tell that to your grandmother.’

2003 P. Lovesey House Sitter (2004) ix. 121 So the official line was that the murders of Emma Tysoe and Axel Summers were unrelated. Tell that to the marines, he thought.

P11. Originally U.S. all told: when all are counted; in all, in total.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > the whole or all > that is all or the whole [phrase] > in all or altogether

by numbera1375

in numbera1375

in allc1380

first and lastc1390

all wholea1393

in companya1393

in sum1399

full and whole1402

in great1421

whole and somec1425

in (the) whole1432

one with another1436

in (the) hale1437

all in great1533

up and down1562

one and other1569

in (the) aggregate1644

all told1814

1814 Niles' Weekly Reg. 20 Aug. 427/2 Lieut. col. Hartes was in command at Eastport, with about eight hundred, all told.

1833 L. W. Bickley Zoe II. v. 46 ‘How many be they?’ demanded the Emir... ‘They are scarce three hundred, all told,’ replied the gasping soldier.

1855 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 24 Nov. 11/6 With the crew, officers, and seamen, [they] made the whole number on board about five hundred, all told.

1921 Atlanta Constit. 23 Jan. All told, the Tech floor leader racked up 8 field goals.

1962 T. Parker & R. Allerton Courage of his Convictions iv. i. 154 A one-er for the Guv'nor, and fifty each for me and George here... Two hundred all told.

2000 J. C. Wheeler Cosmic Catastrophes viii. 136 As much as 1 percent of the mass of the Galaxy may be in the form of neutron stars, about one billion of them all told.

P12. U.S. regional (originally New England). do tell!: (as an exclamation of surprise) ‘is it possible?’, ‘you don't say so!’. In early use also do pray tell!

ΚΠ

1815 D. Humphreys Yankey in Eng. 107 Du pry tel (exclamation probably from) do pray tell.

1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers II. ix. 125 ‘Do tell!’ exclaimed Remarkable, a little aghast; ‘well, who ever heerd of a young woman's being called Miss?’

1860 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 3) at Do The dairy-maid after hearing the story through, exclaimed, Do tell!

1883 C. F. Wilder Sister Ridnour's Sacrifice 138 ‘Come fur?’ ‘About eighty miles.’..‘Du tell!’

1919 Rotarian Jan. 25/2 Do tell, says she. Did you do all that? My, wasn't that nice!

1979 C. MacLeod Luck runs Out (1981) i. 17 Do tell. Did she leave any children?

1998 C. Judd Texas Freedom ix. 74 ‘If I didn't tell you this almanac was coming, it's because I didn't know,’ Bush said. ‘I know nothing about it...’ ‘Do tell!’ Dedham exclaimed. ‘So this is as much a surprise to you as to me?’

P13. blood (also breeding, etc.) will tell: used proverbially to suggest that inborn or hereditary characteristics will ultimately reveal themselves or prevail.

ΚΠ

1824 John Bull 5 Apr. 5/2 It is very much with men as it is with horses—blood will tell.

1847 Morning Post 20 Apr. 7/6 The enormous weight of this animal substantiates the adage ‘Breeding will tell’, as he possessed the grazing propensity and perfect symmetry of his far-famed sire.

1874 L. D. Whitson Brenda Merton in Gilbert St. Maurice 261 I have always thought..that birth will tell, and that the traits a child develops in early life will cling to them in all coming years.

1909 Pop. Sci. Nov. 461 We shake our heads over the wayward son, remembering that his father ‘sowed his wild oats’, and we observe ‘like father like son’, or ‘blood will tell’.

1975 Ebony Sept. 155/1 Newchurch does not believe that every foal of a star stallion will be a winner but says the odds are very good that breeding will tell.

2005 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 23 July 20 Oliver, born and raised in a workhouse,..not educated, yet sweet and pure and perfectly mannered. Blood will tell, of course, as Victorians liked to believe.

P14. to tell the bees: to perform the custom of informing a hive of bees that their owner has died, the traditional belief being that if this is not done the bees will die, leave their hive, or stop producing honey.Outside Britain, the custom has been recorded in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and the United States.

ΚΠ

1842 C. M. Kirkland Forest Life II. xxxix. 203 If there's any body dies in the house, they'll all go away if you don't take no notice on 'em; but if you go and talk to 'em, and tell 'em that sich a one is dead (calling him by name), and hang a black cloth over the hive, and tell the bees if they'll stay you'll do well by 'em, why they'll stay and go to work peaceable.]

1866 Fraser's Mag. May 649/1 ‘Have ye told the bees?’ she continued; and she went out to perform that important ceremony.

1890 W. N. Guthrie Love Conquereth 136 They told the bees long since, yet you 're Still in this desolate place.

1896 Folk-lore 7 385 A farmer's wife..lost her husband in the summer of 1892, and in her grief and distress forgot to tell the bees. Some time after all the hives but one were found to be deserted.

1935 Brit. Bee Jrnl. 8 Aug. 372/1 A dismal day. Mother busy cutting and measuring black stuff. ‘What's that for, mother?’ I ask. ‘To put on the hives... We've got to “tell” the bees.’

1949 ‘J. Nelson’ Backwoods Teacher 157 Behind us, a short, bitter voice said, ‘She's tellin' the bees.’

2002 S. Rosenbaum Honey i. 19 In rural Britain, the custom of ‘telling the bees’ has persisted for centuries.

P15. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to tell a person goodbye: to bid a person farewell. Similarly to tell a person hello, hi, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > use courteous actions or expressions to [verb (transitive)] > bid farewell to

beteachc1314

bid farewella1400

teacha1400

to beteach one good dayc1400

to bid (also say) adieu (to)c1425

farewella1586

lenvoy1596

adieu1602

speed1726

to tell a person goodbye1853

sayonara1883

1853 N.Y. Observer & Chron. 7 July 212/1 She took the little boy by the hand to tell him good bye.

1869 A. J. Evans Vashti vii. 89 ‘Did Ulpian tell you good-by?’ ‘No, I have not seen him.’

1905 B. Tarkington In Arena 253 She told me to tell you good-bye.

1929 L. Hughes Let. 8 May in L. Hughes & C. Van Vechten Remember me to Harlem (2001) 65 Tell Fania Hello for me and both you all enjoy yo' selves to de utt'most.

1979 L. Meynell Hooky & Villainous Chauffeur viii. 111 Mr Furlong asked me to tell you goodbye.

1988 J. Ellroy Big Nowhere ix. 90 Tell Lucy hi for me.

2011 C. Cassidy Cowboy's Triplet Trouble x. 175 The triplets had been fed, the car had been loaded and there was nothing left to do except tell her goodbye.

P16. colloquial (originally U.S.). to tell it like it is: to give a full and truthful account of a matter irrespective of how unwelcome or unpalatable this may be; to be unsparingly candid or frank.Earliest in African-American usage.

ΚΠ

1899 Iowa State Bystander 9 June I must give the colored people of Des Moines..the right understanding about the Jim crow car. Of course some one will differ with me, but I must tell it like it is even if it is in the south.

1905 Lockhart (Texas) Weekly Post 3 Aug. Let the farmer tell it like it is,..and instead of shrewd manipulators making the size of the crop, the people of the South, the farmer and merchant..will give to the world an honest estimate.

1943 W. Guthrie Bound for Glory xiii. 265 You'll get a feed..if you're honest, willing to work for it, and ain't afraid to tell it just like it is.

1965 New Statesman 1 Oct. 473/1 Although sometimes tardy, all his speeches make their intended points; as they say in Harlem, he tells it like it is.

1971 Financial Times 11 Nov. 17/3 If you are thinking of starting your own agency three people who can tell it like it is (and was) are Ronnie Kirkwood, Martin Boase and Richard French.

2003 Out Feb. 12/1 It was the first time I saw a smart, funny, ‘out there’ queer girl telling it like it is.

P17. colloquial. (I) tell (also am telling) a lie: I am mistaken (esp. as an introduction to a corrected restatement of what has just been said). Cf. I'm a liar at liar n. a.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lack of truth, falsity > mistake [phrase] > by myself

(I) tell (also am telling) a lie1910

I'm a liar1940

1910 Eng. Rev. Mar. 631 The news was brought to me ten minutes..no, I tell a lie!..twelve minutes and a half ago.

1925 S. O'Casey Shadow of Gunman ii, in Two Plays 172 Adolphus..after takin' his tea at six o'clock—no, I'm tellin' a lie—it was before six, for I remember the Angelus was ringin' out.

1968 L. Deighton Only when I Larf vii. 89 Six Centurion Mark Fives on that hillock... No tell a lie, one of them is a Mark Two.

1985 B. Unsworth Stone Virgin 141 It is broken... No, as you were, I tell a lie, it's fractured.

2007 A. P. Meade Ghost of Chance xv. 134 ‘Did he mention why he needed to be at the fair?’ ‘No, I don't think—oh wait, I tell a lie. Yes, he did.’

P18. colloquial. In various phrases expressing contemptuous dismissal or emphatic rejection.In each case apparently originating in euphemistic avoidance of a more emphatic or explicit expression.

a. to tell (a person) where to go.Originally with implied reference to ‘to tell a person to go to hell’ or similar.

ΚΠ

1918 Daily Twin Falls (Idaho) Times 18 July 2/2 The farmer..told them ‘where to go’ for their wages. The men left, unpaid.

1946 K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) ii. 37 For two pins I'd tell him where to go.

1992 Independent 20 Jan. 13/4 Nowadays if you said to a child, ‘You're being a bit noisy with that knife and fork,’ they'd tell you where to go.

2005 FHM Jan. 104/1 I've been asked back by quite a few footballers. I've told them where to go.

b. to tell (a person) what to do with (something); similarly to tell (a person) where to put (something), etc.Originally as an alternative to ‘to tell a person to stick it up his arse’ or similar.

ΚΠ

1937 D. Fuchs Low Company ii. 108 Listen, I could tell you what you can do with your boy friend, only I'm a gentleman for the moment.

1946 M. Shulman Zebra Derby (1947) xxi. 133 Green, an upholsterer, said that he was through with upholstering and had told his old boss what to do with his old job.

1958 M. Dickens Man Overboard xii. 176 He had been going to tell Glenn what he could do with his job.

1968 M. Bragg Without City Wall ii. xxi. 207 You could tell the people at the hall what to do with that job of theirs. She'd had enough of being a servant.

1977 Listener 14 Apr. 483/2 Protestations that if the government did any such thing, the BBC would probably tell it where to stuff such an instruction.

2007 Esquire Nov. 132/3 If a restaurant tells you that they will need the table back at a certain time, tell them where to stick it. This evil trend needs to be quashed.

P19. tell it not in Gath: see Gath n. to tell (someone) where he or she gets off: see to get off 6b at get v. Phrasal verbs 1. to tell (a person) his (her, etc.) own: see own pron. 5. to tell a story: see story n. 3e.

Phrasal verbs

PV1. With adverbs in specialized senses. to tell apart

transitive. To distinguish (two or more things) from one another.

ΚΠ

1792 J. Luffman Passions & their Effects 131 He had one [sc. a flute] at home which was so very similar to that he now saw, that it would be difficult to tell them apart.

1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings 112 You know we are so much alike that strangers never can tell us apart.

1862 C. L. Balch Pract. Lat. Gram. iii. 6 There are five declensions... We tell them apart by the ending of the genitive singular.

1908 N. L. Britton N. Amer. Trees 805 It has been supposed that the so-called Red ash and Green ash could be told apart by the velvety twigs of the former and the smooth ones of the latter.

1925 A. Loos Gentlemen prefer Blondes iv. 111 How are we going to tell you gentlemen apart?

1982 B. Chatwin On Black Hill i. 10 As boys, only their mother could tell them apart.

2013 Daily Tel. 25 Apr. 23/4 Telling birds apart from the noise they make isn't always straightforward.

to tell down

transitive. To put down (money) as payment. Now rare.In quot. 1637 figurative.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > payment > pay money or things [verb (transitive)] > lay down money

to lay down1560

lay1572

to tell down1600

consign1633

deposita1640

post1821

1600 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 707 If I would haue solde all my cloth for ready money tolde downe for foure hundred and fifty and fiue hundred reyes, the merchants would haue bought it all of me.

1637 J. Shirley Gamester iv. ii Let her tell down Her virgin tears on Delamore's cold marble.

1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 34 Should any buy a field of land, and refuse to tell down the money.

1765 G. Colman tr. Terence Brothers iii. iv, in tr. Terence Comedies 361 He told the money down Immediately.

1830 W. Scott Ivanhoe (new ed.) II. x. 171 Tell down with all speed an hundred crowns.

1868 A. E. Senter Diddler 77 Fielding..added, if he would give him ten guineas, he would put him in a way of frustrating his son's hopes... Boaz instantly told down ten guineas.

1916 B. M. Dix Blithe McBride iii. 16 Could not his worship tell down fifteen shillings, and win a blessing?

to tell off

a. transitive. Originally Military. Originally: to number off the soldiers of (a platoon, squadron, etc.); to divide up (soldiers) by this means. Later: to assign (a member or members of a larger group, originally a body of soldiers) to a particular task, duty, objective, position, or the like; to depute, detach, detail; (sometimes more generally) to allocate; to divide up. In later use frequently with to.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count people

tell1511

muster1565

poll1649

to tell off1727

census1881

the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose

markOE

to choose out1297

out-trya1325

cullc1330

welec1330

try1340

walea1350

coil1399

drawa1400

to mark outa1450

electa1513

sorta1535

prick1536

exempta1538

select1567

sort1597

to gather out1611

single1629

delibate1660

to cut out1667

outlooka1687

draught1714

draft1724

to tell off1727

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > separate by counting

tellOE

tale1631

to tell off1827

to count out1865

1727 H. Bland Treat. Mil. Discipline vi. 66 As soon as the Platoons are told off, there must be an Officer appointed to each, to Command them.

1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 2 Each Squadron is to be told off—by Half squadrons. Four divisions. Eight sub-divisions.

1804 J. Whitehouse Jrnl. 3 Nov. in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1997) XI. 108 The Captn. formd. his men On the S.W. Side of the river Missourie and told them off in Sections, from the right.

1827 W. Scott Jrnl. 29 Jan. (1941) 15 How could the castes be distinguished or told off in a populous nation?

1837 F. Marryat Snarleyyow III. xv. 229 The troops were told off into the boats.

1872 Punch 21 Sept. 116/1 Let an intelligent policeman be told off to mount guard.

1909 Manch. Guardian 16 Apr. 14/4 Six Arabs are told off whose special duty it is to feed and water the birds twice every day.

1936 Wonderful S. Afr. 381 At intervals rest-camps are provided with rough comforts and means of protection, apart from the armed guard which is told off to act as guides.

1991 Ships Monthly Apr. 16/1 The ‘Black Gang’, all Scots except for one Irishman and me and Alf, then mustered in the engine-room and were told off into watches.

2001 E. Kerner Lesser Kindred v. 107 Varien and I were told off to see what we could find in the way of small game.

b. intransitive. Military. Of a group of soldiers: to number off; to divide into groups on the basis of such numbering. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1757 New Regulations Prussian Infantry ii. i. 28 While the Battalion is telling off and sizing, the Major appoints the Officers and non-commissioned Officers to their respective Posts.

1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. ii. 86 The men are to be instructed to tell off by files and by threes.

1887 Times of India 29 Oct. The men mounted and formed up behind him, telling off in a whisper.

1951 F. H. Maitland Hussar of Line iii. 42 From the right tell off by sections!

2. transitive. To count off; to mark off in sequence.

ΚΠ

1742 T. Clarke Compl. & Compend. Treat. Arithm. 4 Begin at the Right-hand, and tell off two Threes or six Places.

1790 Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. 2 ii. ii. 62 We can tell off the beats, not only by pairs, but also by parcels of three, four and other numbers.

1857 Harper's Weekly 10 Jan. 20 The large clock..that seems to ‘tell off’, as with a pendulum tally, the entrances and the exits.

1879 Wesleyan Missionary Notices Dec. 287/2 One man..gave nine pounds for himself and family, naming each person and telling off each pound on the tips of his fingers.

1989 M. Dibdin Tryst viii. 93 The church clock told off the hours one after the other.

1999 R. Kaplan Nothing that Is viii. 85 Telling off the seconds, the cracks in the sidewalk, the patternless holes in the dentist's ceiling tiles.

†3. transitive. To utter, say over, recount; = sense 8a. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > drill or training > drill [verb (intransitive)] > number in succession

to tell off1837

1837 C. Lofft Self-formation I. ii. 67 I told off the tale as glibly and circumstantially as though I had read it from a printed book.

1841 A. Helps Self-discipline in Ess. (1875) 21 To think that a man can find nothing better to do, in the presence of his Creator, than telling off so many words!

1892 Roanoke (Va.) Times 22 Nov. 2/3 Little did we girls think, as we glibly told off the story of that battle and the queen's gift to the conqueror, that [etc.].

†4. transitive. Military. To administer justice to (a soldier charged with an offence). Obsolete.Originally a spec. use of sense 1a.

ΚΠ

1876 London Society May 447/2 The business of ‘telling off prisoners’ proceeded.

1880 R. M. Jephson Roll of Drum 218 The duty of telling off the culprits was at once proceeded with. Prisoner after prisoner was marched in.., his crime read out to him, evidence heard on both sides, and sentence pronounced.

1889 Jrnl. Royal United Service Inst. 33 315 In all ordinary cases of military crime the circumstances are such that there is usually no difficulty whatever in at once ‘telling off’ a prisoner.

5. transitive. To reprimand, rebuke, scold. Cf. telling-off n. 2, and also tick v.¹ 3c.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)]

threac897

threapc897

begripea1000

threata1000

castea1200

chaste?c1225

takec1275

blame1297

chastya1300

sniba1300

withnima1315

undernima1325

rebukec1330

snuba1340

withtakea1340

reprovec1350

chastisea1375

arate1377

challenge1377

undertake1377

reprehenda1382

repreync1390

runta1398

snapea1400

underfoc1400

to call to account1434

to put downc1440

snebc1440

uptakec1440

correptc1449

reformc1450

reprise?c1450

to tell (a person) his (also her, etc.) own1450

control1451

redarguec1475

berisp1481

to hit (cross) one over (of, on) the thumbs1522

checkc1530

admonish1541

nip1548

twig?1550

impreve1552

lesson1555

to take down1562

to haul (a person) over the coals1565

increpate1570

touch1570

school1573

to gather up1577

task1580

redarguate?1590

expostulate1592

tutor1599

sauce1601

snip1601

sneap1611

to take in tax1635

to sharp up1647

round1653

threapen1671

reprimand1681

to take to task1682

document1690

chapter1693

repulse1746

twink1747

to speak to ——1753

haul1795

to pull up1799

carpet1840

rig1841

to talk to1860

to take (a person) to the woodshed1882

rawhide1895

to tell off1897

to tell (someone) where he or she gets off1900

to get on ——1904

to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908

strafe1915

tick1915

woodshed1935

to slap (a person) down1938

sort1941

bind1942

bottle1946

mat1948

ream1950

zap1961

elder1967

1897 Manch. Guardian 17 July 7/6 This girl's mother..has told me off even more than you did, but I stood it all.

1915 Munsey's Mag. June 206/1 When the woman..played without the slightest regard to the rules of the game, she had to be told off properly.

1933 Scotsman 12 Aug. 13/2 That famous declaration of Scots independence..in which the Holy Father is ‘told off’ for favouring the English against the Scots.

1974 M. Birmingham You can help Me iv. 97 She's..telling off the police good and proper... She blames them for all the dirt.

2005 Mizz 30 Nov. 70/1 Alf can usually be found telling off the younger residents of the Bay for not calling him ‘Mr Stewart’.

to tell on

intransitive. To continue speaking. Usually in imperative; cf. to say on 1 at say v.¹ and int. Phrasal verbs. Now archaic and rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] > to begin to speak again or resume speaking

take1477

to tell on1535

respeak1621

continue1711

reassume1719

resume1801

1535 D. Lindsay Satyre 2154 Tell on. Ar ȝe content?

1600 E. Fairfax tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne ii. 23 Tell on, quoth he, vnfold the chance aright,Thy peoples liues I grant for recompence.

1624 Trag. Nero i. sig. B3^v Why doe I stand relating of the storie..? Tell on, and end the tale, you whom it pleaseth; Mee mine owne sorrow stops from further speaking.

1745 tr. A. C. P. de Caylus Oriental Tales I. 106 Tell on, thou knowest I only want to sleep.

1885 T. W. Halliday tr. T. Campanella City of Sun in Ideal Commonwealths 219 Tell on, I pray you! Tell on! I am dying to hear more.

1992 W. A. Myers Shrink Dreams v. 111 ‘When I tell you about Laura..you'll realize the gravity of her situation,’ he said. ‘Tell on,’ I said lightly.

to tell out

1. transitive. To count out (money, items in a sequence, etc.); to pay out (money) in this way. In early use also: †to separate out by counting (obsolete). Now somewhat archaic.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate from main body

skillc1175

to tell outc1325

shillc1440

sequestrate1513

sorta1535

shoal1571

segregate1579

dismember1580

single1582

scatter1588

disgregate1593

recond1608

sepone1619

sequester1625

canton1653

to cantonize outa1670

portion1777

to set off1795

to comb out1854

distinguish1866

split1924

hive off1931

section1960

separate1962

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)] > except

to take outc1175

out-takec1390

outnima1400

excludec1400

outcepta1470

reserve1523

except1530

exempt1548

to put by1594

abate1598

exemea1600

bate1619

rescinda1687

to tell out1812

to tell out of ——1812

exception1845

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 6713 (MED) He..tolde of hom þe teþe out & þe nine slou.

1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. cxviii. sig. DD^v/2 He..sayde. Syrs, holde tell your money, here is all that we owe you. So they tolde out xxii. hundred frankes.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Chron. ii. 2 Salomon..tolde out thre score and ten thousande men to beare burthens.

1612 B. Jonson Alchemist v. v. sig. M4 Were not the Pounds told out..vpon the table dormant.

1657 Wright's Certain Errors Navigation (new ed.) vi. 42 In this line, beginning from the angle at C, tell out the said number of equal parts 1368.

1739 Joe Miller's Jests No. 200 The money'd Man fell to telling out the Sum in Shillings.

1749 S. Lowe Arithm. in Two Parts Pref. p. xii Counters..which a child will tell-out with pleasure, according to the several dispositions of them.

1771 R. Cumberland Timon of Athens iii. ii. 24 Flaminius, you were sent To Lord Lucullus; come, tell out the talents.

1834 Dublin Penny Jrnl. 3 88/2 The boccaugh produced a long checquer bag, and told out, in the presence of the landlord, an equal sum, which he handed to the young man.

1893 Contemp. Pulpit 9 83 You do not read history as you would tell out the counters in a game, not caring a bit so long as you piled them up.

1911 Pearson's Mag. Feb. 237/1 [He] told out ten sovereigns into the ready palm of the weeping Ermyntrude.

1955 E. Schroeder Muhammad's People 405 When the coin had been brought, and was being told out, Rija came back into the tent.

2. transitive. To proclaim; to declare or announce publicly. In later use chiefly with reference to the promulgation of Christian teachings.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (transitive)]

kithec725

i-bedea800

abedeeOE

bid971

deemOE

bodea1000

tellOE

clepec1275

to tell outa1382

denouncec1384

publishc1384

descryc1390

pronouncec1390

proclaima1393

sound1412

proclaim?a1425

renouncea1425

announcec1429

preconize?1440

announce1483

reclaim?1503

call1523

to speak forth1526

annunciate1533

protest1533

to breathe out1535

denouncec1540

enact1611

deblazon1621

deblaze1640

advise1647

apostolize1652

indigitatea1670

enounce1807

voice1850

norate1851

enunciate1864

post1961

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Isa. lviii. 1 Tel out [L. adnuntia] to my puple þe hidous giltis of hem.

c1425 (c1400) Prymer (Cambr.) (1895) 3 (MED) Heuenes tellen out þe glorie of god.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xcv[i]. 10 Tell it out amonge the Heithen, that the Lorde is kynge.

1615 T. Dekker Cold Yeare sig. C^v I prayde my black-facde Gentleman to tell the Newes out.

1682 J. Banks Vertue Betray'd ii. 25 Oh tell it out with joy! Tell it aloud with shouting to the Spheres.

1719 Compl. Coll. State-tryals III. 349/2 Villany was the Foundation of it, and Knavery the Superstructure; and it is high time it should be told out.

1860 Gospel Standard 1 Dec. 364 The Son of God is preached unto sinners, preached—proclaimed—told out.

1920 Homiletic Rev. Sept. 248/2 We should tell out the things that will be for the blessing of other people. There is the gospel, for instance.

2013 M. W. Scott in M. Tomlinson & D. McDougall Christian Politics in Oceania ii. 63 They will bring the final persecution. Therefore we have to tell out the good news quickly.

†3. transitive. slang. To declare out of contention, originally in a cockfight, by counting; to count out; (later also) to put out of contention. In passive: to be too exhausted, confused, etc., to continue, esp. to continue fighting; (more generally) to be utterly exhausted. Cf. told out at told adj. 2. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1805 Sporting Mag. Nov. 62/2 The Lincolnshire cock.., before it was possible for the knowing ones to tell him out, received..new vigour from his mother earth, and..sprung again to the charge.

1806 Morning Post 9 July Iky Pig, to use the technical phrase, is now told out, as this contest..has proved him unworthy the honour of becoming a bruiser.

1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 176 Told-out, in the language of the cock-pit; when a cock has refused fighting ten several times, counting ten deliberately between each set-to and refusal, he loseth the battle... So, when a gambler is unblunted, he is said to be told out; and so is the debauchee when he can't come again.

1825 Morning Chron. 10 Aug. This race was prettily begun, but Plumper was soon told out, and Lottery won..by two or three lengths.

1860 Bell's Life in London 15 Apr. 4/6 The weight in the ascent from the new Stand also ‘told out’ the St Leger winner, Newcastle, and the French mare, Mdlle de Chantilly.

to tell over

1. transitive. To count, enumerate; to count up; = senses 17, 18a. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > enumerate, reckon, or calculate [verb (intransitive)] > count

accountc1450

recounta1549

to tell over1579

count1865

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count valuable items

tellOE

to tell over1579

society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (transitive)] > reckon up

tellOE

tail1377

foot1491

tailye1497

to tell over1579

total1716

tot1770

1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church iv. i. f. 232 Shee hath set vp so manie [altars], that they are not all to be told ouer in seuentie yeres [Du. dat mense binnen tseuentich Jaren niet en soude al connen getellen].

1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. B2^v Hee shut himselfe into his studdy, and fell to tell ouer his mony.

1625 in tr. Jocelin Life Glorious Bishop S. Patricke 131 Being tould ouer twice or thrice, the flocke was found entire, and complete, not one being missing.

1653 A. Marvell Let. 28 July in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 304 Those who weigh and tell ouer mony.

1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 254 He numbred them, by laying so many Stones on a Row, and pointing to me to tell them over.

1775 J. Harris Philos. Arrangem. iv. 82 Lord Verulam tells us of Proteus, that he had his Herd of Seals, or Sea-Calves; that these 'twas his Custom every day to tell over.

1838 Amer. Monthly Mag. July 358 The teller at the bank counter, who, with his hands full of bank notes, tells them over daily without any ‘realizing sense’ of their value.

1883 Myst. Mod. London 81/1 She found time to tell over the money she had accumulated.

1925 C. Read Mr. Secretary Walsingham II. ix. 253 As soon as Elizabeth discovered that James was really eager for the league she began to tell over her pennies.

1935 P. Mégroz tr. E. Fleg Jesus xxvii. 263 His fingers told over the coins in his scrip.

2. transitive. To tell again, to retell; (also) to tell in full.

ΚΠ

a1595 R. Southwell Humble Supplication (1600) 52 So much, as may serue them to tell ouer the Articles of their Creede.

1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 iv. xv. 495 Although wee had spent the time from hence till to morrow in listning to it, yet should we be glad to heare it told ouer once againe.

a1653 H. Binning Wks. (1735) xvi. 608/1 You use to tell over some Words in your Prayers.

1711 Atlas Geographus I. xi. 172/2 He who is to swear takes a Sword, and tells over the Names of his Wives, Children and Friends.

1774 J. Patsall in tr. Quintilian Inst. Orator II. xi. 316 As it is necessary to give a full sound to words, so to tell over, as it were, and reckon every letter, must be very troublesome and disagreeable.

1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. iv. 94 Thou art..a tattling knave to tell over again his fooleries.

1883 M. Oliphant Hester I. ix. 136 We old fogeys have our little talks together, and tell over our old adventures to amuse ourselves for want of something better.

1911 A. C. Ray Woman with Purpose xvi. 178 She..listened in silence to Dorcas, eagerly telling over the story of her good old times with Dickie.

1992 L. Glinert Joys of Hebrew 65 Torah is learned with a view to ‘telling it over’, to acquaintances, to parents, to children.

to tell up

intransitive. To amount to. Later also without construction: to mount up, to accumulate. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1825 E. Hewlett Cottage Comforts vi. 45 Put it in the savings' bank, and it will tell up to something.

1862 J. T. Bourne Let. 5 May in F. Vandiver Confed. Blockade Running Bermuda (1947) 16 The very high freight..and other incidental expenses has made it tell up considerably over the low rate heretofore charged.

1903 Bankers' Mag. Feb. 197 A fractional economy would result, which in the aggregate would tell up to a large sum.

1914 Sketch 22 July 96/1 The settlement with the men cost about a fifth of a penny per mile, and soon they 'll have to pay something like three-eighths of a penny for road-upkeep. It soon tells up, you know.

PV2. With prepositions in specialized senses.† to tell out of ——

Obsolete.

transitive. Boxing slang. To bar or exclude from.Apparently with pun on to tell out 3 at Phrasal verbs 1.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)] > except

to take outc1175

out-takec1390

outnima1400

excludec1400

outcepta1470

reserve1523

except1530

exempt1548

to put by1594

abate1598

exemea1600

bate1619

rescinda1687

to tell out1812

to tell out of ——1812

exception1845

1812 Sporting Mag. 39 138 Burn..had been long told out of the London list as a cur.

?1824 P. Egan Boxiana III. 311 Burns, although defeated, has no right to be told out of the ring.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	tell
释义	telln.¹ Brit. /tɛl/, U.S. /tɛl/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: tell v. Etymology: < tell v. 1. What one tells or has to tell; a tale, a statement, an account of events. Now only in U.S. regional use in expressions indicating the source of a particular assertion, or the speaker's basis for holding a stated view (as by (also according to) my (his, etc.) tell). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > narration > [noun] > a narrative or account talec1200 historyc1230 sawc1320 tellinga1325 treatisec1374 chroniclec1380 process?1387 legendc1390 prosec1390 pistlec1395 treatc1400 relationc1425 rehearsal?a1439 report?a1439 narrationc1449 recorda1450 count1477 redec1480 story1489 recount1490 deductiona1532 repetition1533 narrative1539 discourse1546 account1561 recital1561 enarrative1575 legendary1577 enarration1592 recite1594 repeat1609 texture1611 recitation1614 rendera1616 prospect1625 recitement1646 tell1743 diegesis1829 récit1915 narrative line1953 society > communication > information > reporting > [noun] > a report reckoningc1390 reporta1425 instruction1425 rehearsal?a1439 rapport1454 estatec1475 reportationc1475 reapport1514 remonstrancea1533 account1561 state1565 credit1569 referendary1581 delivery1592 tell1743 compte rendu1822 rundown1943 1743 H. Walpole Let. 4 Apr. in Corr. (1954) XVIII. 203 There, I am at the end of my tell! If I write on, it must be to ask questions. 1795 B. Dearborn Columbian Gram. 134 List of Improprieties... By his tell for By his tale. 1815 D. Humphreys Yankey in Eng. 43 He is a leetle twistical, according to their tell. 1859 N. P. Lasselle Hope Marshall xxxiv. 206 Thar she sot, talkin' 'bout you. 'Cordin' to her tell, she teached you once't, and you parsecuted her to sich a degree that [etc.]. 1898 E. N. Westcott David Harum xxx. 272 As near's I c'n make out f'm Dave's tell, he must 'a' ben red-headed. 1913 W. D. Howells New Leaf Mills vii. 40 I don't know, but it 'pears like, from his tell, that your man wanted to do him a mischief. 1969 E. Ball Ma'am Jones of Pecos ix. 65 ‘From my point of view their wives are much too good for them.’ ‘You're right about that. 'Cordin' to my tell they're a bad lot.’ 2. regional. Information or news about someone or something; tidings. Only with hear. Cf. earlier hear tell at hear v. 3b. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > [noun] kithc900 avaymentc1315 learningc1386 information1390 knowledgea1398 witteringa1400 witting1417 advicec1425 hearinga1450 understanding1473 intelligence?a1475 intellectionc1475 wit1487 instructiona1535 myance1552 fact1566 aviso1589 facts and figures1727 tell1823 message1828 renseignement1841 khubber1878 dope1901 lowdown1905 info1907 poop1911 oil1915 score1938 gen1940 intel1961 scam1964 1823 J. Hogg Three Perils of Woman II. 68 Heard ye nae tell of a herd stealing a fat haggis nane o' thae nights? 1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. 251/1 We tallygraphted [sic] to Doncaster, but can hear no tell on him. 1893 G. L. Gower Gloss. Surrey Words 41 ‘I had'nt heerd no tell of it.’—Labourer, 1887. 1904 C. C. Robinson in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1905) VI. 59/1 [West Yorkshire] Have you heard any tell of my lad? 1928 ‘L. Leeds’ Phantom of Shore x. 137 ‘Been any fire near here recently?’ she asked... ‘Heerd no tell of it,’ replied the men shivering in their damp bay clothes. 1975 E. Wigginton Foxfire 3 88 We come down through there..and couldn't hear no tell of Grade nowhere. 2001 New Orleans Rev. Spring–Summer 120 He nodded after a bit and said, You know, I ain't heard no tell of Bacon in a good while. 3. English regional. A talk, a chat; a gossip. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > conversation > [noun] > a, the, or this conversation speakc1300 dialoguec1450 speech1469 talk1548 colloquy1581 enterparlance1595 dialogism1603 colloquium1609 discourse1632 conversea1645 colloque1658 conversation1694 say1786 intercommune1820 tell1864 chin1877 conversation piece1936 rabbit1941 rabbit and pork1941 goss1983 1864 B. Lloyd Ladies Polcarrow 101 I made so bould as to come to see if you'd plase to have a bit of a tell with me afore I goes. 1901 ‘Zack’ Tales Dunstable Weir 99 Having a tongue she dearly liked a tell. 1941 F. Thompson Over to Candleford iv. 59 Although never invited, she would drift in sometimes, ‘just to have a tell’, as she expressed it. 1983 R. Sutcliff Blue Remembered Hills xi. 80 Mrs Thurgood says you're to come in for a tell. 4. Poker. A particular aspect of body language or behaviour believed to betray a player's assessment of his or her own hand. Also in extended use. ΚΠ 1974 N.Y. Times Mag. 7 July 30/1 Each man is aware that he is being scrutinized by every other player for any sign of a ‘tell’—some characteristic, unconscious action that reveals something about the value of his hand or the method of his play. 1998 M. Logan King of Siam 148 The tourist to Mook's right splashed the pot, then swivelled his head to stare off at something in the corner of the room. Which was a tell, of course. 2002 Pop. Sci. Aug. 60/2 Tells aren't limited to poker. Body language is an efficient lie detector in any situation. 2010 M. Lewis Big Short iv. 103 Vinny has a tell... When he gets excited he puts his hand over his mouth and leans his elbow on the table and says, ‘let me ask you a question about this’. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022). telln.² Brit. /tɛl/, U.S. /tɛl/ Forms: 1800s– tel, 1800s– tell. Also with capital initial. Origin: A borrowing from Arabic. Etymon: Arabic tall. Etymology: < Arabic tall hill, mound. Compare Hebrew tel mound (especially one on which a city once stood), mound or heap consisting of the ruins of a city, in modern Hebrew also heap, ultimately cognate with the Arabic noun.The English spellings with -e- reflect a colloquial Arabic pronunciation. The following earlier instance appears to reflect a contextual use of Arabic tall which is not recorded in dictionaries of Arabic, apparently contrasting with desert, perhaps denoting (formerly) inhabited areas of the country:1790 J. Bruce Trav. Source Nile I. 146 Cursed be those men..that ever shall lift up their hand against you, either in the Desert or the Tell, i.e. the part of Egypt which is cultivated. Originally in the Middle and Near East: a mound or small hill; (in later use chiefly spec. in Archaeology) a mound formed from the accumulated remains of ancient settlements. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > memorial or monument > [noun] > structure or erection > mound or dome mind hilla1425 mound1775 Indian mound1791 tope1815 tell1840 stupa1841 ruin-mound1911 ahu1917 ishan1921 pillow mound1928 the world > the earth > land > landscape > high land > rising ground or eminence > [noun] > hillock > artificial or covering ruins how1669 tell1840 mound1852 terp1866 1840 Jrnl. Royal Geogr. Soc. 10 521 We..pursued our journey generally in a direction from S.E. to E., passing several villages and tells, among which was one called Tell Gauran (Gabr's hill), with a ruin on its summit. 1871 New Monthly Mag. Apr. 367 The tels, or mounds of ruin, that remain to be excavated, though not so numerous in Palestine..as in Central, and especially Northern Syria, are almost inexhaustible. 1878 G. F. Maclear Bk. Joshua (1880) xv. 149 The tell is very strong and it rises about 200 feet high. 1882 F. S. de Hass Buried Cities iii. v. 380 The country..appears one great plain, with tells or conical hills rising up here and there.., many of them the craters of extinct volcanoes. 1935 Nature 19 Oct. 623/1 This season..was devoted to clearing about five acres of the Tell down to native rock. 1960 E. O. James Anc. Gods ii. 53 In Crete all the principal types of clay figurines have been recovered from the earliest Neolithic stratum in the Tell of Knossos. 1998 Jrnl. Field Archaeol. 25 375/2 Northeastern Bulgaria is rich in Eneolithic tells. 2005 M. Balter Goddess & Bull i. 10 The oval-shaped mound was..blanketed with wild grass and ruin weed, a bushy plant often found growing on Near Eastern tells. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022). tellv. Brit. /tɛl/, U.S. /tɛl/ Inflections: Past tense and past participle told /təʊld/; Forms: 1. Present stem. Old English tælige (1st singular indicative, rare), Old English tællan (rare), Old English telge (1st singular indicative, rare), Old English tellan, late Old English teallan (in prefixed forms), late Old English teliaþ (plural indicative, rare), early Middle English tælle, early Middle English te (transmission error), early Middle English tellenn ( Ormulum), Middle English teale (west midlands), Middle English tele, Middle English til, Middle English till, Middle English tille, Middle English tollen (perhaps transmission error), Middle English tolþ (3rd singular indicative, perhaps transmission error), Middle English tyll, Middle English–1600s telle, Middle English–1700s tel, Middle English– tell, 1500s tellen (infinitive, archaic); U.S. regional (southern, chiefly in African-American usage, usually after did) 1800s– tole, 1900s– told; Scottish pre-1700 tel, pre-1700 tele, pre-1700 telle, pre-1700 till, pre-1700 1700s– tell, 1700s–1800s toll, 1800s tall, 1800s teall (Shetland), 1800s– tol (Shetland and Orkney). Scots forms with stem vowel o are apparently inferred from past tense and past participle forms (see sections 2γ. and 3γ. ). U.S. regional forms with stem vowel o are in origin forms of the past tense and past participle (see sections 2γ. and 3γ. , and compare tole v.).eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. ix. 424 Tele nu þa lengu þ[ære] hwile.OE Beowulf (2008) 2067 Þy ic Heaðobear[d]na hyldo ne telge, dryhtsibbe dæl Denum unfæcne, freondscipe fæstne.OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 16 Hwam telle ic þas cneorysse gelice?lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1085 Þeah ic hit lengre telle.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. vii. 253 Ute nu tellan beforan swilcum deman swilce þu wille.a1275 Body & Soul (Trin. Cambr. B.14.39) l. 65 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 128 Bodi..ihc wil tellit te.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10913 Wat þou quat for soth i tell [Gött. talle]?c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 152 Þe v. I telde ȝou þe oþer day, þe oþere v. I schal telle ȝow now.1592 R. Greene Vision sig. B2 Thus to tellen all the truth, He infected Romes youth.a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 343 He's simple, and tels much.1700 T. Southerne Fate of Capua i. iii. 20 But who can tell?1771 J. Finlayson Marches Day (1814) 10 I was tolling them so yesterday's night.1870 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) I. App. 648 It tells somewhat against his interpretation.1888 M. E. M. Davis In War Times at La Rose Blanche 257 ‘Did'n I tole yer, Mis' Lucy’, said Mammy, beaming at mother.1898 Shetland News 12 Nov. Hit wid be tolin da fish curers if dey wid pit dat law in forse noo.1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 136/2 Thoo'll hae a bonny job ti tell em all.1934 Sat. Evening Post 29 Sept. 13 If somebody tole you, hit could be a lie. But if you dremp hit, hit can't be a lie case ain't nobody there to tole hit to you.2008 M. Keyes This Charming Man 38 She was agog to hear and I was agog to tell. 2. Past tense. α. Old English telede (rare), Old English (in prefixed forms)–early Middle English tælde, Old English–Middle English tealde, early Middle English teald, Middle English teelde, Middle English telld, Middle English tellde, Middle English tellid, Middle English–1500s telde, Middle English–1500s tellyd, Middle English–1500s telt, Middle English–1600s teld, Middle English–1600s telled; English regional 1700s– telt, 1800s telld, 1800s– teld, 1800s– tell'd, 1800s– telled, 1800s– tell't, 1800s– tild (Yorkshire); U.S. regional 1800s telled; Scottish pre-1700 tellit, pre-1700 1700s–1800s tell'd, pre-1700 1700s– telled, pre-1700 1800s– teld, pre-1700 1800s– telt, 1800s– tellt, 1800s– tell't, 1900s– teelt (north-eastern); Irish English (northern) 1900s– telled, 1900s– tellt. eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxvi. 503 Þe ic þe ær tealde on þære þriddan bec.OE Andreas (1932) 1103 Hluton hellcræftum, hæðengildum teledon betwinum.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6579 Þet heo nane manne ne tælden [c1300 Otho tolde]. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds vii. 52 The prophetis..that bifore teelden of the comynge of the iust.1453 A. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 39 Gurney tellyd hym he had byn at London.1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene vi. i. sig. Aa^v Sir Calidore vpcheard, and to her teld All this accord.1686 G. Stuart Joco-serious Disc. 14 Miskenn I tell'd ye.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 34 I telt Bet I wad drive tea it.1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxv, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 509 Mr Scroope tell't Sir Walter.1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. (1998) i. iv. 43 So I telled the Missus stroight, a-did.2006 P. McIntosh Merchant's Mark (2008) viii. 184 I tellt him no to do it. β. Old English (Anglian)–Middle English talde, Middle English taald, Middle English tald, Middle English tavld, 1900s– tawld (English regional); Scottish pre-1700 tailed, pre-1700 talde, pre-1700 tallid, pre-1700 taulde, pre-1700 taweild, pre-1700 tawlde, pre-1700 1700s–1800s tald, pre-1700 1700s– tauld, pre-1700 1800s tawld, 1800s– taul', 1800s– taul, 1900s– taald (Shetland); Irish English (northern) 1900s– tau'd, 1900s– taud, 1900s– taul', 1900s– tauld. In Middle English chiefly northern in later use.OE Cynewulf Elene 908 Nu cwom elþeodig, þone ic ær on firenum fæstne talde, hafað mec bereafod rihta gehwylces, feohgestreona.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 677 A steores-man ham talde [c1300 Otho tolde].a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 511 Als i tald [Fairf. talde] ar.1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 563 The Cwmyn raid to the king..& tald all this cas.1567 R. Sempill Deeclaratioun Lordis Iust Quarrell (single sheet) Eich of thame his taill in ordoure tauld.1608 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) II. 257 That mirrie sport ȝour lordschipis brother tauld me.1789 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 490 He tald mysel by word o' mouth, He'd tak' my letter.1816 W. Scott Old Mortality xi, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. III. 228 Only he tauld me about it.1925 J. Alexander in Sc. National Dict. (1968) VII. 332/2 [Aberdeenshire] I raiset Broon fin I taul' 'im so-an' so.2005 R. Bean Harvest 80 Titch I tawld the punk. γ. Middle English tolded, Middle English tolyd, Middle English towld, Middle English–1500s toold, Middle English–1500s toolde, Middle English–1600s tolde, Middle English–1600s toulde, Middle English (in a late copy)–1700s tould, Middle English– told, late Middle English tole (transmission error), 1600s toull, 1600s toulld; English regional 1600s tou'd (Derbyshire), 1700s– towd (northern), 1800s– toould, 1800s– tould, 1800s– towld, 1800s– twould, 1900s– tolt, 1900s– toud; Scottish pre-1700 tolde, pre-1700 tollit, pre-1700 toulde, pre-1700 1700s– told, 1900s– towld; also Irish English 1800s tolth (Wexford), 1800s– toul', 1800s towld, 1800s towlt, 1800s– tould, 1900s– toul, 1900s– towl, 1900s– tul; N.E.D. (1911) also records a form late Middle English tolled; see also tole v.a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 167 Me..tolde him. þet his deore spuse..were..lene & vuele i heowed.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2907 Moyses told hem ðis tidding.a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xliii. l. 225 Ȝit tolded thow it Neuere to non Man.?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman i. ix. sig. K^v What hurte shuld come Cato tolde before.a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iv. 110 She neuer told her loue.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 90 He towd Sammy he wor baun et wed wie his Cusin Ann.1846 ‘J. Treenoodle’ Specimens Cornish Provinc. Dial. 53 And tould us how a giz-daunce was to door.1946 G. Millar Horned Pigeon xxi. 360 She told me that her engagement had been broken.2000 N. Griffiths Grits (2001) 437 Harvey towld me about it first. 3. Past participle. α. Old English geteald, Old English geteled, Old English giteled (Northumbrian), Old English teled (rare), late Old English (in prefixed forms (not ge-))–early Middle English teald, early Middle English iteald, early Middle English iteld, Middle English teeld, Middle English telld, Middle English tellyd, Middle English tield, Middle English yteld, Middle English–1500s telde, Middle English–1600s teld, Middle English–1600s telled, 1500s–1600s telt; English regional 1700s– telt, 1800s tellen, 1800s– teld, 1800s– tell'd, 1800s– telled, 1800s– tell't, 1800s– tild (Yorkshire); U.S. regional 1900s– telled; Scottish pre-1700 teld, pre-1700 1700s– telled, 1700s– tell'd, 1800s– tell't, 1800s– tellt, 1800s– telt; Irish English 1800s tell't, 1800s telt. eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. vii. 61 Þeh ic ymbe Romana gewin on þæm gearrime forð ofer þæt geteled hæbbe.eOE Cleopatra Gloss. in J. J. Quinn Minor Lat.-Old Eng. Glossaries in MS Cotton Cleopatra A.III (Ph.D. diss., Stanford Univ.) (1956) 141 Calcatur [read Calculatur], teled is.OE Homily: Invention of Cross (Auct. F.4.32) in M.-C. Bodden Old Eng. Finding of True Cross 67 Þa þis þam mæran kasere Constantine geteald wæs, þa wearð he swiðe bliðe.c1175 ( in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 54 Ðæs monnes wæcce þe wacæð for his oferfulle, ant for oferdrynce..nis to nane wæcce iteald.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 215 Swo ich iteld habbe.c1330 (?a1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) p. 504 Ich was teld a man of gret pris..& now icham a wroche beggare.a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 169 Crist haþ teeld þat þis hiȝe charite techiþ a man to putte his lyf for love of hise frendis.1560 Bp. J. Pilkington Aggeus the Prophete (1562) 13 The thinge is true which is telled.a1681 J. Lacy Sr. Hercules Buffoon (1684) iii. ii. 23 I's teld that naughty Sluts wear 'em.a1796 R. Burns Katharine Jaffray in Poet. Wks. (1839) III. 181 He's tell'd her father and mother baith, As I hear sindry say, O.1830 W. Scott Heart Mid-Lothian Introd., in Waverley Novels XI. 144 In a' the wee bits o' ways I hae tell't ye.1997 A. Warner These Demented Lands 158 I shouldn'ty of telt you where it is. β. Old English getald (Anglian), Old English (Anglian, rare)–Middle English tald, early Middle English italt, Middle English itald, Middle English taald, Middle English talde, Middle English taulde, Middle English ytald, 2000s– tawld (English regional); Scottish pre-1700 talde, pre-1700 tallde, pre-1700 taulde, pre-1700 taull, pre-1700 tawd, pre-1700 1700s– tald, pre-1700 1700s– tauld, pre-1700 1800s tawld, 1800s– taul, 1900s– taald (Shetland); Irish English (northern) 1900s– taud, 1900s– taul', 1900s– tauld. In Middle English chiefly northern in later use.eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xliii. 23 Aestimati sumus ut oues occisionis : getalde we sind swe swe scep ofslegenisse.eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) iv. xxiv. 336 Rome..þæt in þa tid wæs micles mægenes tald & gelefed.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11477 Þat nas na cniht wel itald [c1300 Otho itold].a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8765 Þis tre i haf of forwit taald.1488 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 79 Tauld in presens of the Chancellare.1588 A. King tr. P. Canisius Cathechisme or Schort Instr. 185 As I haue tauld in tymes past.1603 Philotus cxxii. sig. E2^v I conjure the..to tarie, Quhill thow the treuth haue taull.1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd iii. ii Do you get them tald you in your sleep?1816 W. Scott Old Mortality ix, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 181 I wadna hae tauld ye.1900 C. Murray Hamewith 85 I've taul ye aft eneuch.2005 S. Elmes Talking for Brit. ix. 229 Ah've always been tawld I'm ‘caggy-'anded’. γ. Middle English itold, Middle English itolde, Middle English jtolde, Middle English ytold, Middle English ytolde, Middle English ytolte, Middle English ytoold, Middle English–1500s toold, Middle English–1500s toolde, Middle English–1600s tolde, Middle English–1700s tould, Middle English– told, 1500s tollyd, 1500s towld, 1500s–1600s toulde; English regional 1800s– toad (Essex), 1800s– tohd (Lincolnshire), 1800s– towd, 1800s– towld, 1900s– twold (Dorset); Scottish pre-1700 tolde, pre-1700 tolled, pre-1700 toulde, pre-1700 1700s– told, 1900s– towld; also Irish English 1800s tould, 1800s twold, 1800s– toul', 1900s– towl, 1900s– tul; see also tole v.c1225 (?OE) Soul's Addr. to Body (Worcester) (Fragm. B) l. 6 Hwar beoþ nu þeo pundes þurh [pa]newes igædered? (Heo weren monifolde bi markes itolde.)a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 558 Ilk der..foleȝeð him..For ðe swetnesse ðe Ic ȝu haue told. ▸ a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1882) VIII. 149 Rehersed how it was i-tolde.c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 37 Theise .iij. þat y haue of toold.a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 15 A tale tollyd among deffe men.1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 299 Gently hast thou tould Thy message.1722 W. Bromley Let. to J. Grahme 6 May in J. Bagot Col. J. Grahme (1886) 32 (modernized text) I am told that others have shown very indecent joy.1821 Life D. Haggart 118 By jappers, we were tould he was the boy.1998 Balloons & Airships July 5/1 Has Robin told you about the gas balloon flight? Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian tella to count, declare (Frisian telle ), Old Dutch tellen to say, speak, declare, count (Middle Dutch tellen to count, to reckon, consider, relate, say, Dutch tellen to relate, speak, say, reckon, consider, count), Old Saxon tellian to say, relate, reckon, consider, count (Middle Low German tellen to count, count out, pay, reckon), Old High German zellen to reckon, relate, count (Middle High German zeln , zelen , zellen to count, reckon, consider, explain, German zählen to reckon, count), Old Icelandic telja to relate, say, speak, count, Old Swedish tälia to count, reckon, consider, take into account, relate, say, speak (Swedish tälja ), Old Danish tælie , tælle to count, pay, say, relate, declare (Danish tælle to count, number, reckon) < the same Germanic base as tale n. and tale v. Form history. In Old English a weak verb of Class I of the same type as e.g. dwell v., quell v.¹, sell v.; occasional weak Class II forms of the present stem perhaps result from the influence of the cognate verb talian tale v. The regular Old English past tense and past participle forms show no i-mutation of the stem vowel because of early syncope of the suffix (West Saxon tealde , geteald , with breaking of æ ; compare Anglian past tense talde , getald , with retraction); however, occasional forms with i-mutation of the stem vowel are attested, especially in Anglian and sources showing Anglian influence: past tense telede , past participle geteled . Past tense and past participle forms in -a- (see Forms 2β. , 3β. ) show the Old English (Anglian) past tense talde and past participle getald . Past tense and past participle forms in -o- (including the modern standard form told : see Forms 2γ. , 3γ. ) reflect Middle English (southern) tōld , with long open ō from earlier lengthened ā (before a homorganic consonant group). The Middle English past participle form tolded at Forms 3γ. shows double morphological marking (compare -ed suffix¹). Middle English and later past tense and past participle forms in -e- (see Forms 2α. , 3α. ) are of various origins. Those attested in texts of northern provenance may show continuation of the Old English (chiefly Anglian) past tense telede and past participle geteled , with i-mutation: this would appear consistent with the modern regional distribution of the past tense and past participle forms tellt , telled , noted by Eng. Dial. Dict. from the east midlands, East Anglia, the north of England, and Scotland. In Middle English sources with more southern provenance, such spellings may rather reflect the continuation of West Saxon and Kentish past tense and past participle forms in -ea- . However, forms of the type telled , tellt may partly show analogical re-formation from the present stem and -ed suffix¹ (see discussion at that entry and compare the modern past tense and past participle forms of e.g. smell v., spell v.², etc.); compare also the 19th-cent. regional past participle tellen at Forms 3α. , apparently showing similar re-formation from the strong past participle ending -en suffix⁶. For further discussion of these forms, see L. Anderwald Morphol. Eng. Dial. (1996) 74–7. Specific senses. In Old English, use in branch III. is very frequent (and is also attested in further senses, e.g. ‘to think, suppose, believe, to impute, ascribe, assign’), whereas use in branch I. is comparatively rare (also as compared with partly synonymous say v.¹, queath v.) and only becomes more frequent towards the end of the period. With use in sense ‘to express’ (see sense 6) compare slightly earlier use of atell v. in this sense. Prefixed forms. In Old English the prefixed form getellan i-telle v. is also attested; compare also atellan atell v., betellan betell v., tōtellan to distinguish (compare to- prefix²). I. To mention, narrate, relate, make known, communicate, declare, and related senses. †1. transitive. To mention or name (a series of things) one after another in order; to enumerate; to give a list of, to list. Also with double object: to enumerate or list to (a person). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > communication > record > list > [verb (transitive)] telleOE reckonc1175 titlea1325 reckonc1400 entitlec1430 recitea1475 recount1481 perusea1535 capitulate1566 recense1583 catalogue1598 item1601 renumerate1605 list1614 enumeratea1649 recenseate1657 cataloguize1820 to run down ——1833 reel1835 to call off1846 itemize1864 enumer1936 the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > as a series rimeeOE telleOE number?a1425 minutea1770 eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxvi. 503 Do ðæs lean to ðæm forsprecenan goodum þe ic þe ær tealde on þære þriddan bec. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 250 Þa nolde he hine gebiddan ac herian, tealde his godan dæda, swilce god hi nyste. c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 41 Þa tealde þe godspellere Lucas from Criste sylfum upweard to Adame alle þa fæderæs æfre, from men to oðrum. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 9 Feole oðre godere werke þe nu were long eou to telle. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 497 Ic wile rigt tellen, if ic can, Adam, seth, enos, caynan, Malaleel, iareth, enoch. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 24 Alle þise guodes of kende þet ich habbe ssortliche y-tald. a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) 12626 Ȝow to wyþholde Fro þe synnes þat byfore are tolde. c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 152 Out of euyll tunge springeth x. braunchys. Þe v. I telde ȝou þe oþer day, þe oþere v. I schal telle ȝow now. 2. a. transitive. To narrate, relate in order. With simple object (now rare in sense 2a(a)) or object clause. Also with double object: to give (a person) an account of. (a) Of a person, report, text, legend, etc.: to give an account or narrative of (facts, actions, or events); to describe in order. In early use occasionally with non-referential it as subject with the sense ‘it is told or narrated’.Frequently in parenthetical as clause with the story or legend as notional subject. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > narration > narrate, relate, or tell [verb (transitive)] singc900 reckonOE readOE tellOE showc1175 betellc1275 i-tellec1275 rehearsec1300 record1340 accounta1387 to chase forthc1386 retretec1400 reporta1402 count?a1425 recite1448 touch?a1450 repeat1451 deliverc1454 explikec1454 renderc1460 recount1477 to show forth1498 relate1530 to set forth1530 rechec1540 reaccount1561 recitate1568 history1600 recant1603 to run througha1616 enarrate1750 narrate1754 society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > tell (story) [verb (transitive)] sayeOE tellOE nevena1375 narrate1656 OE Homily: Invention of Cross (Auct. F.4.32) in M.-C. Bodden Old Eng. Finding of True Cross 67 Þa coman hio hrædlice to ðam mæran kasere..and tealdon him þa þrowunga þe ure hælend on þære rode ðrowode. c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) 295 Þah ich þe talde al dei ne mahte ich þe tellen þe wundres. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 242 Vre lauerd weop as þe godspel telleð. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7198 Þo gan he to tellen þis [sc. his vision]. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 5943 As it telleth in the tale, The ferst into a nyhtingale Was schape. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 1330 He..told him all þat he had sene. c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 16593 (MED) Þe bybyll tellys to vs þis man..was named Mardochius. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 82 Hit tellith aftir in the Sankgreall that sir Percivall his syster holpe that lady with hir blood, whereof she was dede. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xv. 12 Barnabas and Paul..tolde what signes and wondres God had shewed. 1532 J. Fisher Two Fruytfull Serm. ii. sig. E.2^v Scrypture tellyth how that the fyrst man Adam was put into a place all of pleasure, named paradyse. 1593 M. Drayton Idea viii. sig. J2^v He had as antique stories tell, A daughter cleaped Dowsabell. 1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene v. iii. sig. O2^v To tell the glorie of the feast..The goodly seruice, the deuicefull sights..Were worke fit for an Herauld. View more context for this quotation 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd ii. 307 Others of some note, As story tells, have trod this Wilderness. View more context for this quotation 1674 Govt. Tongue ix. §6. 160 With what gust and sensuality will they tell how such a Jest of theirs took, or such a Magnificence was admired? 1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. vi. 163 A country mouse, as authors tell, Of old invited to his cell A city mouse. 1779 Mirror No. 23. ⁋5 These [actions] were told to his honour. 1789 T. Campbell Strictures on Eccl. & Lit. Hist. Irel. ix. 181 This Con, son of Dargo,..came from beyond sea, as his tale tells. 1833 C. F. Crusé tr. Eusebius Eccl. Hist. (ed. 2) vii. xi. 289 After these..he proceeds to tell what happened to him. 1840 J. Wills Lives Illustrious & Distinguished Irishmen II. i. 189 These events have been told already in the political series of the period. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 24 Apr. 10/1 To hear the old gentleman tell how he had actually snowballed Keats. 1915 W. Cather Song of Lark ii. x. 231 They talked to her..and told her how their mother had once punned upon their name. 1954 J. Corbett Temple Tiger 3 After a long silence Bala Singh said: ‘Very well, Sahib, I will tell you what happened.’ 2006 Ireland's Own Feb. 3/3 An old legend tells that the army of Brian Boru carried a flag which they called St Patrick's Cross and it brought them victory at Clontarf. (b) With the narrative, etc., as object. Now esp. with tale (see also Phrases 1) or story.In early use also in legal contexts: to state (a case). ΚΠ OE Royal Charter: William I to Archbishops, Bishops, & Others, supporting Rights of Abbot Baldwin in D. C. Douglas Feudal Documents Abbey Bury St. Edmunds (1932) 53 Se abbod Baldwine tealde þa his tala þærtogeanes ærest hu Cnut Kincg draf ut þa preostas. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 122 Meschal..þeose storien tellen eft ou. for ha weren to longe to writen ham here. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13245 Marcel far to helle, & tel heom þer spelles. a1300 Passion our Lord 1 in R. Morris Old Eng. Misc. (1872) 37 Ihereþ nv one lutele tale, þat ich eu wille telle. c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 705 Mo than a thousand stories..Koude I now telle as touchyng this matere. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1611 Tell yow þi Neces cas quod Deiphebus. a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 19 (MED) Þou art called to suffre & to labore, not to be idel & telle tales. c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) vi. 49 I thynk it best that euyrie ane of vs tel ane gude tayl or fabil to pas the tyme quhil euyn... Than the eldest scheiphird began and al the laif follouit ane be ane in ther auen place. 1576 G. Gascoigne Complaynt of Phylomene in Steele Glas sig. L^v She by whom I meane, To tell this woful Tragedie, Was called Phylomene. 1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Huntington Libr. copy) sig. I2^v He entitles his booke A Supplication to the Diuell, and..tels a storie of the nature of Spirits. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iv. i. 273 When the tale is told, bid her be iudge. View more context for this quotation 1606 S. Daniel Queenes Arcadia ii. i. sig. C2 Here haue we sung full many a Rundelay, Told Riddles, and made Nosegayes. 1653 Bp. J. Taylor Ενιαυτος: Course of Serm. xxiv. 321 Some..can hear their friend tell the cursed narrative of his adultery, of his drunkennesse, of his craft and unjust purchases. 1663 S. Tuke Adventures of Five Hours i. 4 Let's tell our Stories, that we soon shall see, Which of us two excells in Misery. 1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia iv. iv. 174 They tell their Tale in Moratty. 1720 D. Defoe Life Capt. Singleton 219 We pacified him..with telling him the History of William's Dream, and the Consequence of it. 1770 J. Oldham Compositions I. 13 Dull Annalists in Story tell Strange Legends. 1798 J. Ferriar Illustr. Sterne ii. 45 Another of his speakers tells the following story. 1809 W. Combe Schoolmaster's Tour in Poet. Mag. Nov. 199 The Doctor,..Whene'er he got a little Mellow,..Would sing a song, or tell a riddle, Or play a hornpipe on the fiddle. 1840 W. H. Mill Observ. Gospel vi. 114 The experience and history of mankind tells, uniformly, a different story from this. 1896 Argosy Feb. 489/1 Merchants occasionally tell stories of customers..who seem unable to withstand the temptation to purloin small articles of little value when a good opportunity offers itself. 1920 P. G. Wodehouse Let. 28 Nov. in Yours, Plum (1990) i. 14 I forgot to tell you in my last letter the tale of the laughable imbroglio..which has occurred with Jerry Kern. 1929 F. N. Hart Hide in Dark i. 27 It's despicable to tell a murder story with the lights on. 1970 Guardian 10 Sept. 15/2 There's an old fable told in the lands of the Fertile Crescent. 2013 Daily Tel. 6 Feb. 7/2 If you want to avoid journalists doorstepping you, you should stop telling ridiculous stories to the press. b. intransitive. To give an account, report, or description of. Also with about (also, in Old English, †ymbe umbe prep.). ΚΠ eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. vii. 61 Þeh ic ymbe Romana gewin on þæm gearrime forð ofer þæt geteled hæbbe. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 19547 Icc wile tellenn forþ, Off whatt bilammp þa siþþenn. a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) l. 228 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 173 Ich wulle tellen of helle pin and wernin ow wið herme. c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. xi. l. 25 He..con tellen of Tobie And þe Twelue Apostles. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4238 Leue we now iacob in þis care. To tell of ioseph and his fare. c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 164 (MED) Seneca tellis of a philosophur þat hight Pictagoricus. 1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 123 Thai culd tak and tell of mony thing. 1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. v. sig. E3 What art thou, that telst of Nephews kilt? c1654 E. Waller Panegyric to Ld. Protector xlv Tell of towns stormed, of armies overrun. 1667 S. Woodford Paraphr. Psalms David i. 18 Praise to that God, who care of Sion takes! And all His wonders tell about. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones IV. x. v. 42 ‘How is it possible you should know me?’ answered Sophia. ‘Why that Man that the Gentlewoman spoke of..told about you last Night.’ View more context for this quotation a1771 T. Gray Imit. Propertius in Wks. (1814) II. 88 Sailors to tell of winds and seas delight. 1812 G. Crabbe Tales ii. 38 He told of bloody fights. 1829 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian vi. (note) in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 251 A near relation of the Author's used to tell of having been stopped by the rioters, and escorted home in the manner described. 1889 S. Hale Mexico viii. 82 The Mayan legends..tell of nothing but wars and conquests, struggles and defeats. 1903 ‘P. Pennington’ Woman Rice Planter (1913) i. 1 You have asked me to tell of my rice-planting experience. 1955 H. Lewis Blackways of Kent iii. 77 One elderly informant told about her sister who was seized in her youth with a state that caused her to turn around and around. 2011 N.Y. Times Mag. 11 Dec. 22/3 Harrison tells of traveling in Siberia. c. intransitive. With adverbs. Of a tale or story: to have a specified character or quality when told; to come across (well, etc.) when told, esp. aloud; to admit of being told in a particular way. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > narration > narrate or give an account [verb (intransitive)] > be narrated tell1608 society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (intransitive)] > be related with a particular effect tell1608 1608 T. Hudson tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Ivdith i. 22 in J. Sylvester Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) Then, fathers chose you warres: for better tels, To lose like Iewes, then winne like infidels. 1689 in J. Sage Case Afflicted Clergy Scotl. (1690) 18 It were far more easy to give the true reasons, for truth tells best, and its this. 1766 T. Neve Animadversions Mr. Phillips's Hist. Cardinal Pole I. 109 The story lying in Mr. Phillips's way, he thought it told well, and did not care to drop it. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia III. vi. iv. 256 I had as lieve the things were false as not, for they tell as well the one way as the other. 1803 F. Asbury Jrnl. 13 June (1821) III. 106 How would it tell to the South, that priests were among the notions of Yankee traffick? 1852 W. L. Alexander Anc. Brit. Church iv. 60 If a story told well, the reader cared little whether it was true or not. 1931 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz. 17 May iv. 5/2 The story tells well, and a lump rises in every patriotic American throat when we hear again the immortal story of [etc.]. 2010 D. S. Smith in S. P. Smith Lifting Silence 18 There was just no way around having my father's story be about him. It was my call, I think it tells well, and I hope you agree. 3. To make known (information, facts, ideas, news, etc.), by speech, writing, or other means; to communicate, impart, intimate, state. Frequently with impersonal or personified subject. a. With double object.In Old English with the recipient of the information, etc., in the dative. (a) transitive. With the information, etc., expressed by a noun or pronoun, e.g. she told me these things.The passive of this construction is, e.g. these things were told me. ΚΠ OE Lambeth Psalter cxviii. 85 Narrauerunt mihi iniqui fabulationes sed non ut lex tua : tealdon uel cyddon me þa unrihtwisan spellunga ac na swa æ þin. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 31 Gode tiðinge..us telleð..se[i]nte lucas on þe holie godspelle. c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) 1188 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 140 He rounede in is wiues ere, and tolde hire al is þouȝt. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4624 I wat þou tells [Gött., Fairf. tellis, Trin. Cambr. tellest] it me for noght. c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 57 Telle me þe enchesone wherefore I ame to ȝow brouȝt. c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 1239 (MED) He axede what hyt hyȝt; Þe mayde seyde..‘Syr, Y telle hyt þe: Men clepeþ hyt Yle d'Or.’ 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke i. f. lxxiij Thoose thinges..which were tolde the from the lorde. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts xxvii. 25 I beleve God that so it shalbe even as it was tolde me. 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida i. iii. 281 This shall be told our louers. View more context for this quotation 1673 S'too him Bayes 23 I'le tell you one piece of my mind. 1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 8 Oct. (1948) I. 47 I must tell you a great piece of refinement of Harley. 1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. ix. 260 I shall make no other effort to prevent such a measure, than by telling you the consequence you are to expect. 1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. iii. 37 Tell us your mystery of multiplying. 1909 L. M. Montgomery Anne of Avonlea xi. 111 Another day I asked them all to tell me the naughtiest thing they had ever done. 1988 J. Harrison Dalva i. 107 This was told me by a tall, skinny young man in tatered clothes. 1993 Equine Marketer July 14 We'll tell you the pros and cons of each type and style of fence. 2010 New Yorker 6 Dec. 79/1 Tell me the general area where I need to look. (b) transitive. With the information, etc., expressed by a clause, e.g. she told me how things stood.The passive of this construction is as in sense 3a(c).For use with so see Phrases 3. ΚΠ lOE St. Nicholas (Corpus Cambr.) (1997) 92 Ða men him þærrihtes tealden hwæt heo spræc to heom. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 5357 Þou ssalt þi wille abide as ich þe abbe ytold her. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 1786 Sche upon childhode him tolde That Perse hir litel hound is ded. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4843 (MED) Tells me Quat-kin man yur fader be. c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 203 I teld ȝou þat a schouyl hath iij. partys: a scho, an heued, & an handyl. ?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 90 Reson telleth me that she is not comen hether for me. 1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1928) xxix. 137 Well than quod she I shall you now tell How the case stondeth. a1625 (?1572) Trial Duke of Norfolk (BL MS Sloane 1427) f. 71^v Barker brought me a decipher telling me that 40 was for me, & 30 for the Q. of Scottes. 1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 6 Yet Salomon tels us, the poore mans wisdome is despised. 1635 tr. F. Cevoli Occas. Disc. 2 His wisedome tels him the best meanes to conserue it is a preparation for warre. 1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. vii. 1215 Our Saviour himself tells us, that the Father judgeth no man. 1728 R. Bradley Dict. Botanicum Acinus, Mr. Ray tells us, is a Grape, and not the Grape-stone, as some believe. 1740 D. Hume Let. 4 Mar. (1932) I. 37 Tell me what Copy-Money I may reasonably expect for one Edition of a thousand of this Volume. 1780 A. Young Tour Ireland (ed. 2) I. 507 Long experience has told him that the long horned Craven breed of cattle is preferable to any other. 1825 C. Mather Ess. to do Good Pref. 36 Experiment has told us it [sc. gold] may be so dilated, that the hundred thousandth part of a grain may be visible without a microscope. 1833 T. Hook Parson's Daughter I. v. 87 And I say, Charles, tell her we are coming to coffee forthwith. 1838 H. W. Longfellow Psalm of Life in Knickerbocker Sept. 189 Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! 1898 Daily News 19 Jan. 9/2 She told me that she tight-laced herself to present a good figure in the shop. 1901 ‘G. Douglas’ House with Green Shutters v. 39 I just telled Gourlay what I thocht of him. 1943 Triumphs of Engin. 94/1 Official statistics tell us that a tornado blows at 100 miles an hour and exercises a pressure amounting to 50 pounds to the square foot! 1954 J. Corbett Temple Tiger 39 Salaam, Sahib. I have come to tell you that the tiger has killed one of my cows. 2002 Express (Nexis) 9 Oct. (Features) 39 Most bank and building society customers want over-the-counter services, research consistently tells us. 2013 E. Huang Fresh off Boat ix. 139 The waiters and managers need to tell you what's going on in the dining room. (c) transitive. In passive with it as anticipatory subject. Now somewhat rare. ΚΠ 1450 J. Gresham in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 50 It was tolde me þat my Maister Calthorp hadde writyng fro my lord of York. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xxiii. 7 Then was it tolde Saul that Dauid was come to Cegila. 1625 F. Bacon Apophthegmes §126. 147 It was told him, that the enemie had such volleyes of arrowes, that they did hide the Sunne. 1795 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 125/1 At the house where I was entertained, it was told me, that we should see..the most singular sight in Ireland. 1863 H. M. Waddell Twenty-nine Years in W. Indies & Central Afr. xxx. 583 It has been told us, that all the river gentlemen met on board your ship, last month, and vowed perpetual war with the missionaries. 1964 F. Manfred Scarlet Plume ii. 116 It was told us that you turned over in your mother's belly before you were born. (d) transitive. With direct speech. See also Phrases 15. ΚΠ 1740 Extract Rev. John Wesley's Jrnl. Georgia 24 I told him, ‘If Red Men will learn the Good Book, they may know as much as White Men.’ 1836 Chinese Repository 4 434 ‘More soon, more better; sendee chop-chop,’ I told him. 1886 T. Frost Reminisc. Country Journalist xxi. 245 ‘It was up-hill work to establish it [sc. a newspaper],’ he told me. 1916 H. Walpole Dark Forest i. v. 135 ‘I can't marry you,’ she told him, ‘because I don't love you.’ 1943 G. Greene Ministry of Fear ii. i. 135 ‘Mr Digby,’ she told him, ‘there's a visitor for you.’ 2013 K. Clark Down & Outs iv. 33 ‘You're way out, honey,’ he told her. b. With the information, etc., communicated as object. (a) transitive. With clause (with or without that), or (less commonly) quoted words, as object; usually with the recipient of the information, etc., implied by the context, e.g. he told where the money was. ΚΠ lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1046 Swegen..tealde þet his sciperes woldon wændon fram him buton he þe raðor come. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xv. lii. 754 Fables tellen þat þere byȝonde ben þe Antipodes, men þat hauen here feet aȝens our feet. a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 169 Crist haþ teeld þat þis hiȝe charite techiþ a man to putte his lyf for love of hise frendis. c1450 (a1425) Metrical Paraphr. Old Test. (Selden) l. 16593 (MED) Þe bybyll tellys to vs þis man..was named Mardochius. ?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 6644 (MED) How many ȝere in certayn, I fand na boke þat tellis playn. 1535 D. Lindsay Satyre 1506 Now I will rin, but rest, And tell that all is ready. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. xc^v He..tolde to the other playnely that..he would take from him the wardshyp of his nephewe. 1598 E. Ford Parismus xi. 75 One of the outlawes came in, and beganne to tell that there was an host of men in the wood. 1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote ii. xiv. 90 The Story leaves them, to tell who was the Knight of the Glasses and his nosie Squire. 1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin iii. iii. 94 Joceline tells, that St. Patrick did..fast..a whole Lent together. 1739 H. Baker & J. Miller tr. Molière School for Wives i. i, in Molière Wks. III. 125 I knock here only to bid Good-morrow, and tell that I'm come back. 1799 J. Grahame Wallace ii. vi. 33 Tell I am well again, And that I'm gone to another part of the line. 1823 G. Flagg Let. 20 July in Flagg Corr. (1986) 33 Col Kelly whipped him severely to make him confess his sins and tell where the money was &c. &c. 1841 P. Macgregor Genuine Remains of Ossian 146 Why didst thou tell to me That my gallant youth had fallen? 1927 A. C. Parker Indian How Bk. (1931) v. li. 231 Heckewelder goes on to tell that this Indian, because of his dream fast, knew of his former lives. 1975 J. Lees-Milne Diary 13 Dec. in Through Wood & Dale (2001) 69 Poor Diana..telephoned in tears to tell that her old peke had died. 2001 B. W. Perry AppleScript in Nutshell p. xvi This chapter tells where to find these applications and describes their commands and classes. (b) transitive. With noun or pronoun as object; sometimes with to (also †till) indicating the recipient of the information. E.g. I told my fears (to him).The passive of this construction is, e.g., it was told to him by a friend. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] learna1382 tella1382 givec1449 imparta1547 impute1594 reinform1605 reimpart1645 leave1677 volunteer1805 brief1866 to come across with1895 voice1951 society > communication > information > reporting > report [verb (transitive)] i-telle971 reckOE tella1382 brevea1400 reportc1450 recount1477 reapport1486 refera1500 renowna1500 relate1530 informa1533 recommend1533 reaccount1561 re-report1599 yielda1616 delatea1639 narrate1656 bulletin1838 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xlii. 3 Telle [L. annuntiet] to vs the Lord thi God the weie, bi whiche wee go. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) viii. l. 2762 Ech his oghne avis Hath told, on that, an other this. c1400 (?c1280) Old Test. Hist. in F. J. Furnivall Adam Davy's 5 Dreams (1878) 83 (MED) To fool ne to non vncouþ man þi conseil ne telle. c1475 (a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 300 (MED) Poul telliþ here a rewele þat cristen men shulden holde. 1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid viii. iv. (heading) Evander tellis till Enee but baid, The verray caus. 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI 175b The erle of Warwicke had come to short home, to tel these tidynges. 1611 Bible (King James) Gen. xxiv. 33 I will not eate, vntill I haue tolde mine errand. View more context for this quotation 1655 L. Carlell Passionate Lover v. i. 67 But I am ashamed to tell my name or quality. 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. vi. 74 Let's buy a Slave to tell each Voter's Name. 1759 S. Johnson Idler 30 June 201 The studious and ambitious contend..who shall tell their thoughts in the most pleasing manner. 1861 H. A. Jacobs Incidents Life Slave Girl iv. 37 This piece of indecorum was told to his master. 1864 F. G. Tuckerman O Hard Endeavour in Poems 218 Tell Each tone, each look of love, each syllable, With lips that work, with eyes that overwell! 1896 Standard 15 Jan. 7/2 He said much, but told little, at to-day's meeting. 1909 G. W. James Indian Basketry (1972) iii. 22 MacMurray thus writes of the Cosmogony of the Yakimas as it was told to him by one of their great war chiefs. 1925 M. E. Durham in Albania & Albanians (2001) 170 A young friend, Major N, to whom I told my fears. 1998 C. Cornelissen Soft Rain 57 Mother and Aunt Kee told the news to the women in the pen. c. With the recipient of the information, etc., as object: to inform, apprise, make aware. (a) transitive. With about, of; e.g. he told us about his research. Also with anaphoric adverb or prepositional phrase, as thus, to that effect, etc. See also to tell a person so at Phrases 3a. Also occasionally: to direct the attention of (a person) to a fault or weakness. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person) to teach a person a thingc888 meanOE wiseOE sayOE wittera1225 tellc1225 do to witc1275 let witc1275 let seec1330 inform1384 form1399 lerea1400 to wit (a person) to saya1400 learn1425 advertise1431 givec1449 insense?c1450 instruct1489 ascertain1490 let1490 alighta1500 advert1511 signify1523 reform1535 advise1562 partake1565 resolve1568 to do to ware1594 to let into one's knowledge1596 intellect1599 possess1600 acquainta1616 alighten1615 recommenda1616 intelligence1637 apprise1694 appraise1706 introduce1741 avail1785 prime1791 document1807 to put up1811 to put a person au fait of1828 post1847 to keep (someone) straight1862 monish1866 to put next to1896 to put (one) wise (to)1896 voice1898 in the picture1900 to give (someone) a line on1903 to wise up1905 drum1908 hip1932 to fill (someone) in on1945 clue1948 background1961 to mark a person's card1961 to loop in1994 c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Bodl.) (1934) 38 (MED) Ant hwerto schulde ich telle þe..of ure cunde & ure cun. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 6461 Ic þe wulle tællen [c1300 Otho telle]. of uncuðe spællen. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3510 Me tolde him of a gret duc þat het theldryk. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11393 Vs telles alsua iohn..Of a folk ferr and first vncuth. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 808 Allas what wykked spirit told hym þus. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) i. l. 263 He tald his modyr of his sodane cas. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 55^v Menelay..was told Of the rape vnrightwis of his Riche qwene. 1574 J. Baret Aluearie T 90 He shewed me, or tolde me of my fault. 1645 J. Howell Epistolæ Ho-elianæ v. xii. 15 I shall heartily thank you,..if you tell me of my weaknesses. 1683 A. Behn Young King v. iii. 56 I must tell her something about the King. 1778 F. Burney Evelina II. xxiii. 214 I suppose, Miss, aunt has told you about you know what? 1830 Morning Jrnl. 6 May [He] stated this to Mr. Scanlan, who again saw Mr. Westmacott, and told him to that effect. 1873 T. Hardy Pair of Blue Eyes II. i. 2 Elfride had never told her father of the four-and-twenty-hours' escapade with Stephen. 1910 Trans. 65th Session Amer. Instit. Homœopathy 353 He said he was glad they told him of his fault; it cured him. 1955 N. Marsh Scales of Justice 84 He's the local eccentric I told you about. 1998 Environmental Health News 5 June 2/1 Call the editorial team..and tell us of the big issues facing you. 2013 New Yorker 12 Aug. 42/3 At lunch..he told us about his research. (b) transitive. With the information, etc., understood or implied by the context; e.g. even if they ask, I will not tell them. ΚΠ a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21378 Sco fand it, qua so wil wijt hu? Herc, and i sal tel yow, Als i in a stori fand. a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxi. 262 Anna. Nay..And do it lawfully. Cayphas. As how? Anna. Tel you I can. 1548 Princess Elizabeth & J. Bale tr. Queen Margaret of Angoulême Godly Medytacyon Christen Sowle f. 15^v But to call the daughter, hast thu so sayd? I besyche the, tell me. a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) iv. vii. sig. G.iii R. Royster. What doth Kit Custance say? M. Mery. I am loth to tell you. 1672 J. Lacy Dumb Lady iv. 48 He has a design in't but had not time to tell me. 1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 90/2 Q. Did you tell any body else that day? A. I only told Permanund that day. 1848 Sharpe's London Mag. Mar. 127/1 I would not enlighten him on the subject... I would tell my mother. 1865 J. W. Carlyle Lett. III. 269 Say Saturday; if that does not suit there will be time to tell me. 1921 P. G. Wodehouse Indiscretions of Archie xxii. 250 A fellow with tortoiseshell-rimmed specs asked me, so I told him. 1952 M. McCarthy Groves of Academe (1953) ix. 182 It doesn't seem to me likely that they cooked it up between them... More likely she half guessed and he told her. 2012 S. Townsend Woman who went to Bed for Year xxxvii. 242 This chap asked me what I'd do, and I told him. (c) transitive. In passive.This construction, e.g. he was told these things by her, she must be told about it, I was told that you were coming, is frequently substituted for the passive of senses 3a, 3b. ΚΠ 1534 N. Udall Floures for Latine Spekynge gathered oute of Terence f. 4^v I shulde haue ben tolde of it before. 1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing v. iv. 96 I was told, you were in a consumption. View more context for this quotation ?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) xii. 555 This by Calypso, I was told, and she Inform'd it, from the verger Mercurie. 1666 R. Boyle Let. 9 Mar. in T. Birch Life R. Boyle (1744) 172 Those, that are freed from the hiccough, by being told of some feigned ill news. 1735 E. Curll in A. Pope Literary Corr. II. p. xiv What..do your Confederates expect, or justly ought to dread, for so many as have been told about the Publication of your Letters? 1779 S. Johnson Let. 16 Oct. (1992) III. 189 I am told how well I look. 1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xi. 206 Wherefore was I not told of all this? 1836 J. A. Wilson Jrnl. 24 Aug. in Missionary Life & Work N.Z. (1889) iii. 48 We were told the events which led to the burning of the mission station. 1863 C. Kingsley Lett. (1878) II. 149 When I am told that the Lancashire system is perfect. 1916 Jrnl. Educ. Psychol. Sept. 402 If not, he was told the answer and given a second example. 1988 A. Miller Enabler (1990) v. 34 He was..told that he had a cluster headache which would eventually go away. 2005 Daily Tel. 22 Aug. 8/2 The finder..is now waiting to be told the whistle's value after having it declared treasure by a coroner's court. 4. transitive. To declare, to state formally or publicly; to announce, proclaim. In later use often with an explicit adverb, as abroad, forth, etc. (see also to tell out 2 at Phrasal verbs 1). Also with clause as object. Also figurative. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (transitive)] kithec725 i-bedea800 abedeeOE bid971 deemOE bodea1000 tellOE clepec1275 to tell outa1382 denouncec1384 publishc1384 descryc1390 pronouncec1390 proclaima1393 sound1412 proclaim?a1425 renouncea1425 announcec1429 preconize?1440 announce1483 reclaim?1503 call1523 to speak forth1526 annunciate1533 protest1533 to breathe out1535 denouncec1540 enact1611 deblazon1621 deblaze1640 advise1647 apostolize1652 indigitatea1670 enounce1807 voice1850 norate1851 enunciate1864 post1961 OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 251 Ne sceole we tellan gif we hwæt lytles to gode gedoð, ac we sceolon geriman ure misdæda mid wope. OE Lambeth Psalter cxliv. 6 Magnitudinem tuam narrabunt : mærða uel micelnessa þine hig cyðaþ uel hig tellað. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 175 (MED) Þe ypocrites..telleþ hire guodnesses and wryeþ hare kueadnesses. c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xlix. 7 Þe heuens shul tellen his riȝtfulnes. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1475 Eche a rynk was bliþe þat..meliors so mariede scholde bene..euerich man wiþ ioye teld it forþ til oþer tiȝtli al a-boute. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xvii. 18 He [sc. Paul] telde to hem Jhesu and aȝen rysing. a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) xviii. 1 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 151 Heuens telles goddis blisse. ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 150 (MED) We xull telle be dale and hylle How harwere of helle was born þis nyght. 1583 R. P. tr. P. de la Sierra Second Pt. Myrror of Knighthood xxi. f. 119^v The Queene..commanded that to be told publikely, which was spoken in secret. 1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet i. ii. 126 The great Canon to the clowdes shall tell The rowse the King shall drinke. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. T. Boccalini Ragguagli di Parnasso (1674) ii. xxxviii. 190 The Master of the Colledge, told in the name of the whole Senate, That [etc.]. 1708 R. Estcourt Prunella iv. 15 Tell it in every place you please, White-Hall, in Westminster, or Mews. 1849 A. H. Clough Poems & Prose Remains (1869) II. 84 The Voice, Whose speaking told abroad..The ancient truth of God. 1894 J. Booth Everybody's Guide Music ix. 79 Music..breathed the secret of her wondrous possibilities into the ears of masters yet to be, who came and told it forth to all the world. 1987 V. V. Deloria in R. J. DeMallie & D. R. Parks Sioux Indian Relig. v. 108 The French could tell the word of God, the English could, and now the Indians could tell it, too. 2006 D. Merwick Shame & Sorrow ix. 118 A skipper told it abroad that, thanks to them, the sailor had been ‘wonderfully saved’. †5. intransitive. To make a statement, communication, or announcement; to speak, discourse. Obsolete except in to tell on at Phrasal verbs 1.In quot. lOE with reference to the stating of a legal case; cf. sense 2a(b). The original composition date of this quot. (late 9th cent.) probably implies earlier currency of the sense. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] > announce or make known telllOE gredec1305 society > communication > information > action of informing > give information [verb (intransitive)] meanOE telllOE to make reportc1425 wrayc1425 wrobc1425 lay1488 inform1569 intelligence1616 advertise1764 lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. vii. 253 Ute nu tellan [L. contende] beforan swilcum deman swilce þu wille. c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 14 (MED) Þet ich ne mahte nawt bringe to eni ende, þah ich hefde a þusent tungen of stele & talde aðet ha weren alle forwerede. c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 1094 (MED) ‘Sei on dame!’ and ssche bigan To tellen als a fals wimman. 1372 in E. Wilson Descriptive Index Lyrics John of Grimestone's Preaching Bk. (1973) 26 (MED) Siker is det to alle maner men; To tellen of is time neuere no man kan. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. vii. 2 And thei tolden to the hous of Dauid, seiende, Siria restede vp on Effraym. a1450 Castle Perseverance (1969) l. 3035 (MED) Aȝeyns Coueytyse can I not telle. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 21 I pray the..tellith to Blase my moders confessour. 1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos ii. sig. C.iij^v They..fixt with eies ententiue did behold, Whan Lord Æneas..from hie bench thus he told. 6. transitive. To express in words (thoughts, things known); (of words) to convey. Frequently in negative constructions. Also: to give verbal expression to, give vent to (an emotion). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > statement > state or declare [verb (transitive)] speakc900 sayOE sayOE tell?a1160 to put forth?c1225 posea1325 allegec1330 declarec1330 exponec1380 to bring fortha1382 expounda1382 terminec1384 allaya1387 express1386 proport1387 purport1389 cough1393 generalize?a1425 deliverc1454 expremec1470 to show forth1498 promisea1500 term1546 to set forward1560 attribute1563 to throw out1573 quote1575 dictate1599 rendera1616 preport1616 enunciate1623 remonstrate1625 state1642 pronunciate1652 annunciate1763 present1779 enounce1805 report1842 constate1865 lodge1885 outen1951 ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 I ne can ne i ne mai tellen alle þe wunder ne alle þe pines ðat hi diden wrecce men on þis land. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Bodl.) (1981) l. 621 Monie ma murhðen þen alle men mahten wið hare muð munien ant tellen wið tunge. ?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 285 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 177 Ne mai non heorte it þenche, ne no tunge ne can telle. c1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 51 Ne miȝte no tunge tellen þat euer wes iboren Þe stronge pine of helle. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 304 (MED) Þat deol þat made Innogen, no tonge telle ne may. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 96 Qua-sa will of hy[r] fa[y]rnes spell, Find he sal inogh to tell. ?a1425 Constit. Masonry (Royal 17 A.i) l. 664 in J. O. Halliwell Early Hist. Freemasonry in Eng. (1844) 36 The vertu therof no mon telle may. a1513 J. Irland Meroure of Wyssdome (1926) I. 163 His luking, his ganging, and all his havingis ware mare plesand than ony man can tell. 1592 S. Daniel Complaynt of Rosamond in Delia sig. M^v Striuing to tell his woes, wordes would not come. 1650 O. Cromwell Let. 12 Sept. in Writings & Speeches (1939) (modernized text) II. 338 Which the instructed, edified and comforted, can best tell the energy and effect of. 1678 N. Tate Brutus of Alba i. 9 Now I've told my grief I am at ease. 1723 P. Aubin Life Charlotta Du Pont xvii. 175 None but such as have experienced it, can tell the Joy and Comfort poor Christians find, in meeting and conversing together when in Slavery. 1794 W. Blake Songs Exper. (1866) 70 I was angry with my friend, I told my wrath, my wrath did end. 1796 Scots Mag. June 368/1 The emotions of Amelia during these favourable prognostications, no words can tell. 1817 J. Keats Poems 14 Cynthia! I cannot tell the greater blisses, That follow'd thine, and thy dear shepherd's kisses. 1912 H. R. Haggard Marie ix. 129 Who can tell the joy that I experienced as I watched Marie returning from the very brink of the grave to a state of full and lovely womanhood? 1969 T. Schneebaum Keep River on your Right xx. 151 What I want cannot be told in words, but is only to be felt. 1999 Amer. Spectator (Nexis) Oct. Words cannot tell how brave my father was. Not a word of fear, not a word of complaint. 7. figurative. a. transitive. To make known or indicate as if by language; to attest to, give evidence of, signify, betoken. Now rare (chiefly literary in later use). ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > [verb (transitive)] tokenc888 sayOE tellc1175 note?c1225 signifyc1275 notifyc1390 signc1390 ossc1400 testify1445 point1477 betoken1486 indike?1541 demonstrate1558 to give show of1567 argue1585 portend1590 speak1594 denotate1597 denote1597 evidence1610 instance1616 bespeak1629 resent1638 indict1653 notificate1653 indicate1706 exhibit1799 to body forth1821 signalize1825 to speak for ——1832 index1862 signal1866 c1175 ( Homily (Cambr. Ii.1.33) in A. M. Luiselli Fadda Nuove Omelie Anglosassoni (1977) 177 Þonne wenað hi soðlice and on heora gebærum tellað þæt hi hit habban wið god gebet. a1300 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Caius) 64 (MED) Hu he [sc. the lecher] stinked to god In vitas patrum þe engel hit telleð [?c1225 Cleo. schaude, c1230 Corpus Cambr. schawde] þat heold his nase þa þer com þe prude lechur ridinde. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6905 (MED) Þis wand was don vp for to hald..In takning for to tak and tell Again þe folk was sua [Fairf. at was] rebell. a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Washington) (1965) l. 3624 Aftir a man haþ in him moost Of weet or drie, hete or colde, His complexioun shal be tolde. a1702 J. Pomfret Poems (1724) 15 Whilst the World burns, and all the Orbs below, In their viperous Ruins glow, They sink, and unsupported leave the Skies, Which fall abrupt, and tell their torment in the Noise. 1809 R. Heber Europe 29 May those bleak summits tell The field of Anger where the mighty fell. 1827 J. Clare Shepherd's Cal. 148 I care not what this foolish trifling tells. 1899 Argosy Jan. 206 He bowed low to the astonished Cottrell, but his eyes told only too plainly the fierce hatred of the man. 1920 N. C. Barney Poems & Poèmes 12 Unseeing eyes whose clustering tears Tell the pure crystal of her years. 2014 J. Bullard Under North Star vi. 118 The flat tone in Uncle Samuel's voice told his sorrow over the attack on his niece. b. intransitive. To give evidence, be an indication of. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > [verb (intransitive)] tella1616 betoken1793 a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) iii. vi. 45 The neighes of Horse to tell of her approach, Long ere she did appeare. View more context for this quotation 1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere vii, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 47 All was still, save that the hill Was telling of the sound. 1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek v There was so little that told of delusion in the calm simplicity of the doctor's countenance. 1853 C. Kingsley Hypatia I. i. 2 His hard hands and sinewy sun-burnt limbs told of labour and endurance. 1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xxviii. 368 The strained, drawn expression, telling of mental suffering. 1960 M. Sharcott Place of Many Winds viii. 132 A few bricks and a couple of rotted and barnacled pilings tell of a long-forgotten cannery or saltery. 2004 Global May 66/2 Paw prints in the cracked earth told of desert foxes and coyotes. 8. a. transitive. To utter (words); to read out or recite (a passage, composition, etc.); to say over (something one has memorized or learned). See also to tell off 3 at Phrasal verbs 1, to tell over 2 at Phrasal verbs 1.Now nonstandard. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > voice or vocal sound > [verb (transitive)] > utter leadOE givec1175 tell?c1225 talkc1275 to set upa1325 to put outc1350 soundc1374 to give upc1386 pronouncea1393 cough1393 moutha1400 profera1400 forth withc1400 utterc1400 to put forth1535 display1580 vent1602 accent1603 respeak1604 vocalize1669 fetch1707 go1836 outen1951 ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 54 Eue..talde him al þe lecun þe god hefde ired hire. c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 10 (MED) Þe pope..In nede for to cristny men Ȝef alle men ileaue..Olepi mot hym ine þe water, And eke þe wordes telle. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Psalms cxviii. 171 My lippis shuln tellen out an impne. a1400 Siege Jerusalem (Laud) (1932) 474 (MED) Lered men..þat loude couþe synge, With sawters seten hym by, & þe psalmys tolde Of douȝty David þe kyng. c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. 644 Hector bad he shulde goon To þe furies.., Swiche wordis amongis hem to telle. 1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 201 His [sc. the Pope's] numerat Aueis, and Psalmes tauld. 1574 J. Baret Aluearie T 87 To tell by hart, recito. 1668 R. Steele Husbandmans Calling x. 260 Use them to reading, and to tell a verse when you have read. 1683 Tryal Lord Russel 12 Tell the whole passage. 1766 A. Nicol Poems Several Subj. 76 He can pray, and tell long scrifts of Greek, And broken smatters of the Hebrew speak. 1824 P. Schmidtmeyer Trav. into Chile xiv. 324 A custom prevails in many [schools], of making the children learn, or rather tell, their lessons, by bawling them out as loud as their lungs will allow. 1873 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 714 There is a poet..whose words seem to breathe the thoughts and language of my own seared soul... Let me turn my head to tell his lines. 1880 M. A. Courtney W. Cornwall Words in M. A. Courtney & T. Q. Couch Gloss. Words Cornwall 58/2 Tell, to say. ‘Can you tell your lessons?’ 1905 L. Wiener tr. L. Tolstoy Compl. Wks. XIX. 388 Visiting-cards, on which his name is printed and which save him the trouble of telling or writing it out. 1920 M. V. O'Shea Everyday Probl. Child Training xi. 213 They were learning the Koran by heart. The master's task consisted wholly in calling upon one boy after another to tell what he had learned. 2014 P. Worley Once upon an If ii. 166 If you are using a poem primarily for its narrative content, I would suggest learning the new words before reading or telling the poem. †b. transitive. More generally: to say, speak (in contrast to other forms of communication or utterance). Also figurative. Obsolete except as merged with other senses. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > speak, say, or utter [verb (transitive)] speakc825 queatheOE forthdoc900 i-seggenc900 sayeOE speak971 meleOE quidOE spella1000 forthbringc1000 givec1175 warpa1225 mootc1225 i-schirea1250 upbringa1250 outsay?c1250 spilec1275 talec1275 wisea1300 crackc1315 nevena1325 cast1330 rehearsec1330 roundc1330 spend1362 carpa1375 sermona1382 to speak outc1384 usea1387 minc1390 pronouncea1393 lancec1400 mellc1400 nurnc1400 slingc1400 tellc1400 wordc1400 yelpc1400 worka1425 utterc1444 outspeakc1449 yielda1450 arecchec1460 roose?a1475 cutc1525 to come forth with1532 bubble1536 prolate1542 report1548 prolocute1570 bespeak1579 wield1581 upbraid1587 up with (also mid) ——1594 name1595 upbrayc1600 discoursea1616 tonguea1616 to bring out1665 voice1665 emit1753 lip1789 to out with1802 pitch1811 go1836 to open one's head1843 vocabulize1861 shoot1915 verbal1920 be1982 c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. v. l. 408 (MED) Ȝif I bidde any bedes..Þat I telle with my tonge is two myle fro myne herte. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ecclus. xxi. 25 The lippes of the vnwyse wylbe tellynge foolish thinges. 1628 T. Hobbes tr. Thucydides Peloponnesian War (1822) 79 Many prophecies were told and many sung by the priests of the oracles. 1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. ix. 412 Who dares think one thing, and another tell, My Heart detests him as the Gates of Hell. a1791 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 376 Till all the frighted Echoes tell The blood-notes of the chace! 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) Do what I wid I couldn get'n vor to tell a word. c. intransitive. To speak, talk; to converse, gossip. Also figurative. Cf. tale v. 6. Now rare (English regional (south-western) in later use). ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] matheleOE speakc888 spellc888 yedc888 i-quethec900 reirdOE meldOE meleOE quidOE i-meleOE wordOE to open one's mouth (also lips)OE mootOE spellc1175 carpa1240 spilec1275 bespeakc1314 adda1382 mella1400 moutha1400 utter?a1400 lalec1400 nurnc1400 parlec1400 talkc1400 to say forthc1405 rekea1450 to say on1487 nevena1500 quinch1511 quetch1530 queckc1540 walk1550 cant1567 twang1602 articulate1615 tella1616 betalk1622 sermocinate1623 to give tongue1737 jaw1748 to break stillness1768 outspeaka1788 to give mouth1854 larum1877 to make noises1909 verbal1974 the mind > language > speech > conversation > converse [verb (intransitive)] yedc888 speak971 rounda1200 talka1225 tevela1225 intercommunec1374 fable1382 parlec1400 reason?c1425 communique?1473 devise1477 cutc1525 wade1527 enterparle1536 discourse1550 to hold one chat, with chat, in chat1573 parley1576 purpose1590 dialogue1595 commerce1596 dialoguize1596 communicate1598 propose1600 dialogize1601 converse1615 tella1616 interlocute1621 interparle1791 conversate1811 colloquize1823 conversationize1826 colloque1850 visit1862 colloquy1868 to make conversation1921 a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iv. 343 'Tis time to part them, He's simple, and tels much. View more context for this quotation a1652 R. Brome Damoiselle i. i, in Wks. (1873) I. 385 At his Inne in Holborne Telling a little with the Host. 1680 W. Lawrence Marriage by Morall Law of God ii. i. 224 Yon Brook (hark!) tells with purling sound, From Sea who brings it under ground. 1885 Rep. & Trans. Devonshire Assoc. 17 110 To tell is the equivalent of to say, to speak, to talk. It is very common to hear, ‘I yeard em tellin' together.’ 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) He do tell in his sleep ter'ble. 1892 S. Hewett Peasant Speech Devon 21 'E's behind telling tü Mr. Baker. 1905 W. Weeks Devonshire Yarns iv. 19 ‘I spose Tom,’ zed 'is maister tu'n wan day when they was tellin' together 'bout rairin' up famlies, ‘I spose [etc.].’ 9. transitive. To assert positively to; to assure (a person). Chiefly in parenthetical expressions of emphasis, as I can tell you, let me tell you, etc. See also I'm telling you at Phrases 5b(b). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > act of convincing, conviction > bring to belief, convince [verb (transitive)] > by assertion tella1275 assurea1535 over-talk1605 to talk over1734 to put over1908 to put across1910 a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 5 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 4 Hire fader was a patriac, as ic ou tellen may. c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 161 On a day as y ȝou telle Our princes speken wordes felle. a1450 York Plays (1885) 288 (MED) This touches no tresoune, I telle you. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xii. f. xcviij^v I tell the thou departest not thence, tyll thou have made goode the vtmose farthynge. a1596 Sir Thomas More (1911) i. i. 110 And he is in a good forwardnesse, I telle ye, if all hit right. a1639 T. Dekker et al. Witch of Edmonton (1658) i. ii. 9 He likes Kate well. I may tell you, I think she likes him as well. 1659 R. Brathwait Panthalia 46 Let me tell you, your Loyalty should produce in you Motives of more piety. 1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 480. ⁋3 Give me leave to tell you, Sir, this is the reason. 1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron I. iv. ii. 208 Let me tell you, I am not to be persuaded by Metaphysical Arguments. 1790 J. P. Kemble Love in Many Masks iv. ii. 52 Honour! I tell you, I hate it in your sex. 1817 T. L. Peacock Melincourt I. vii. 100 Very orthodox old wine in the cellar, I can tell you. 1888 R. Kipling Wee Willie Winkie 84 'Taint no bloomin' picnic in those parts I can tell you. 1905 F. Young Sands of Pleasure i. iii I tell you, it got on my nerves. 1983 W. Goldman Adventures in Screen Trade 187 Suddenly..Robert Wagner starts to cry. This is, let me tell you, a bonus. 2011 T. Ronald Becoming Nancy (2012) xv. 207 That's all I need with Dad in the mood he's been in for the last couple of weeks, I can tell you. 10. a. transitive. With (the) truth (formerly †sooth) as object: to make a true statement; to state or report the fact, state of affairs, etc., as it really is. Cf. say v.¹ 2e. See also Phrases 2.to tell the truth and shame the devil: see shame v. 4d. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > truthfulness, veracity > tell the truth [verb (transitive)] sayOE tellc1330 nevena1375 straighten1970 c1330 (?c1300) Amis & Amiloun (Auch.) (1937) l. 1481 (MED) Al þe soþe he teld hir þan. a1450 (?c1421) J. Lydgate Siege Thebes (Arun.) (1911) l. 519 He..doune on knees..gan falle, Hym coniuring be the goddes alle To telle trouth and no thyng to hide. ?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 40 Telle me þe trewth. 1536 R. Morison Remedy for Sedition sig. Bij All thynges telle truthe but man. c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 38 I shall telle you the trewth how me tyd euyn. 1563 L. Humphrey Nobles or of Nobilitye sig. g.viii^v Nor speaketh hee alwayes yll, who telleth the trueth, though freely. 1610 A. Cooke Pope Ioane 52 He was loath by telling truth to discredite Luitprandus. 1673 J. Milton On Death Fair Infant viii, in Poems (new ed.) 19 Or wert thou that just Maid who once before Forsook the hated earth, O tell me sooth. 1705 F. Fuller Medicina Gymnastica 116 They don't love to be told the Truth, tho' it is ever so necessary. 1797 H. Lee Canterbury Tales I. 84 What need of invention? We have only to tell the simple truth. 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian xi, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 253 She will tell the truth, if it should be the undoing of her. 1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn i. 17 There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. 1948 Official Detective Stories May 43/2 Now I have told the truth from the bottom of my heart and my conscience is clear. 1993 I. Murdoch Green Knight (1994) iii. 334 It's like being in a fairy palace where everything is lit up and beautiful and everything is understood and forgiven and truth is told and love declared. 2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 7 Jan. i. 22/1 As with many relationships born on the Internet, neither was telling the truth. b. transitive. Similarly with lie, falsehood, untruth, etc., as object: to make a deliberately false statement or report. See also I tell a lie at Phrases 17. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lie, tell (lies) [verb (transitive)] lie1377 forgec1386 to belie the truthc1400 tellc1400 to tell (formerly to make) a liec1400 sayc1460 to face (a person) with a lie1530 cog1570 c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 123 (MED) Men þat schulden be professoures of science of God synnen many weies..Somme..professoures of divinyte..whan þei schulden preche Gods lawe to þo puple, þei tellen lesynges. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iv. l. 1407 Goddes speken in Amphibologies, And for a soth þey tellen .xx. lyes. 1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) iv. xxii. sig. dd.ij A man may well some tyme holde his peas of the trouth, but not to telle a lye. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. iv. 74 And twenty of these punie lies ile tell . View more context for this quotation 1688 J. Crowne Darius i. 10 Da. Lye not. Ty. I will not, Sir—What should I gain by telling you untruth? 1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. xii. 196 ‘My sweetest miss,’ cried my wife, ‘he has told you nothing but falsehoods.’ a1771 T. Gray Jemmy Twitcher in Gentleman's Mag. (1782) lii. 40 The prophet of Bethel, we read, told a lie. 1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lii. 469 It was not the habit of this dear creature to tell falsehoods, except when necessity compelled. 1875 M. A. Fleming Gypsy Queen's Vow xxi. 193 ‘Miss Lawless, do you know where little girls that tell fibs go to?’ said Miss Sharpe, sternly. 1927 Passing Show Summer 14/1 Don't tell me a pack of godforsaken lies! 1967 E. Ambler Dirty Story i. iii. 25 Never tell a lie when you can bullshit your way through. 2000 Reader's Digest Oct. 97/1 It [sc. testosterone] may influence a decision to invest money in a dubious enterprise, jump into an ill-advised affair or tell a big whopper. 2014 G. Hogg Don't cry for Brave xxviii. 143 You told lies on oath, you asshole! Unless the girl tells the same lies, you're finished. 11. a. To disclose or reveal (something secret or private, or previously not generally known); to divulge. (a) transitive. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or reveal [verb (transitive)] unwryc825 unhelec1000 to draw forthc1175 unhillc1200 to bring forth?c1225 unsteekc1250 let witc1275 uncovera1300 wraya1300 knowc1300 barea1325 shrivec1374 unwrapc1374 again-covera1382 nakena1382 outc1390 tellc1390 disclosea1393 cough1393 unhidea1400 unclosec1400 unhaspc1400 bewrayc1405 reveal1409 accusea1413 reveil1424 unlocka1425 unrekec1425 disclude?1440 uncurec1440 utter1444 detect1447 break1463 expose1483 divinec1500 revelate1514 to bring (also put) to light1526 decipher1529 rake1547 rip1549 unshadow1550 to lay to sight1563 uppen1565 unlace1567 unvisor?1571 resign1572 uncloak1574 disshroud1577 spill1577 reap1578 unrip1579 scour1585 unharboura1586 unmask1586 uncase1587 descrya1591 unclasp?1592 unrive1592 discover1594 unburden1594 untomb1594 unhusk1596 dismask1598 to open upc1600 untruss1600 divulge1602 unshale1606 unbrace1607 unveil1609 rave1610 disveil1611 unface1611 unsecret1612 unvizard1620 to open up1624 uncurtain1628 unscreen1628 unbare1630 disenvelop1632 unclothe1632 to lay forth1633 unshroud1633 unmuffle1637 midwife1638 dissecret1640 unseal1640 unmantle1643 to fetch out1644 undisguise1655 disvelop1658 decorticate1660 clash1667 exert1692 disinter1711 to up with1715 unbundlea1739 develop1741 disembosom1745 to open out1814 to let out1833 unsack1846 uncrown1849 to bring (out) in (also into) the open1861 unfrock1866 disbosom1868 to blow the lid off1928 flush1950 surface1955 to take or pull the wraps off1964 c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 141 (MED) We schal telle trewely We toke þe wiþ a-voutri. 1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 277 Thise goddis the telle þin enemyes sleightes, and lede to þe couchis of fraude. 1566 J. Martiall Replie to Calfhills Blasphemous Answer v. f. 141 None but such as haue bene of priuie counsell in Sathans courte, can tell these secrets. a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) ii. iv. 110 She neuer told her loue. View more context for this quotation 1664 T. Porter Carnival iv. 45 Elv. Most freely, Sir, Are you acquainted, Sir, with his intentions?..Fel. Madam, I am, but dare not tell the secret, Without his leave. 1797 M. Robinson Walsingham I. xi. 181 ‘If you tell that you found Lord Linbourne in my chamber,’ said Lady Aubrey..‘I will discard you for ever.’ 1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xviii. 155 She told no more of her thoughts now than she had before. 1896 J. Curtin tr. H. Sienkiewicz Quo Vadis xi. 101 I will tell nothing here! Come with me; I will tell my thoughts in the litter. 1916 G. Bonner Black Eagle Myst. xviii. Also—I am telling everything—I think I was jealous of him. 1985 S. H. Zarit et al. Hidden Victims Alzheimer's Dis. viii. 174 To be with six or seven relative strangers and to tell her innermost secrets, which she had not even shared with family or friends. 2001 E. Meidav Far Field cxx. 514 She wondered whether the boy's last thoughts..were that she might have betrayed him to Honree. He might've believed she had told his secret. (b) intransitive with object implied. See also do tell! at Phrases 12.don't ask, don't tell: see do v. Phrases 6d. ΚΠ 1796 F. Burney Camilla II. v. 98 ‘O! pray tell, Jacob,’ cried Miss Margland; ‘did they say any thing of Mr. Mandlebert?’ ‘Yes, and of more than Mr. Mandlebert,’ said Jacob... ‘Do tell, do tell,’ cried lndiana, eagerly. 1833 M. Clarke Sarah Maria Cornell i. 6 Tab. Oh, Mary, I had a horrid dream last night. Mary. A dream, Tabby? Oh, do tell. 1888 H. James Reverberator 170 What have you been through?..Will you please tell? I've been perfectly wild! 1899 E. Wharton Greater Inclination 112 If you 'll tell I 'll promise not to. 1942 O. Petrova Butter with my Bread iii. 44 ‘How, then?’ ‘I won't tell.’ ‘Oh, do tell! Please, Marie Louise.’ ‘No, I can't.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because it's a secret.’ 2008 M. Keyes This Charming Man 38 She was agog to hear and I was agog to tell. b. †(a) transitive. To reveal (something specific in the future); to foretell, predict. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > predict, foretell [verb (transitive)] fore-sayc900 bodeOE before-sayOE before-tella1382 foretella1400 prognostica1400 tella1400 prenosticate?a1475 prenostic1477 prognosticatec1487 forespeak1489 prognostify1495 foreshow1561 prenunce1563 presage1569 boden1573 forewarn1582 predict1590 forehalsen1594 foresignify1597 prognosticon1602 predivine1607 forespell1611 predicate1623 prenuntiate1623 preadmonish1644 forebode1664 prediction1665 prenotea1711 bespeak1721 pre-announce1793 prophesize1848 to call for ——1895 pick1909 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > inspired prophecy > prophesy [verb (transitive)] prophesy1372 betoken1382 prophetize?a1400 spaea1400 tella1400 writec1405 ossc1450 destiny?1549 fore-prophesy1581 forewarn1582 vaticinate1652 a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 9265 (MED) Crist was talde wiþ prophecy. a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 2 (MED) Þis Gospel of Mark bigynneþ how Crist was teld in þe olde lawe. c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 200 All þe sawis of þaire Syre as Siraphis tald, Þare gan þai graithly þam graue. (b) transitive. To make a prediction or prophecy about (a person's fate or fortune, the future, etc.). See also fortune n. 3d. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > utter predictions [verb (intransitive)] prognosticate?a1475 prognostic1481 prophetizea1500 tell?1518 prophesy1563 presage1592 predict1652 prophesize1816 ?1518 A. Barclay Fyfte Eglog sig. C.iii Foles..Whiche wene to nombre, the sterres of the skye By them supposynge, eche desteny to tell. 1579 J. Frampton tr. M. Polo Most Noble & Famous Trauels 154 The superstition whyche they doe call Geomancia, by the whiche they tell thinges to come. 1655 R. Farnworth Witchcraft cast Out 3 The Stars were not set in the firmament for such as thou art, to tell destinies or fortunes by. 1684 E. Ravenscroft Dame Dobson ii. vii. 19 I am inform'd that you..can tell by Astrology things past, present, and to come. 1731 Polit. State Great Brit. Feb. 117 A Woman dressed like a Hermit arrived lately at Metz, and pretending to be a Prophetess, set up to tell future Events. 1857 Lit. Mag. (Univ. Virginia) Apr. 159 To the Roman, the toad's entrails told the future, as great an oracle as Delphi or a modern card-table. 1902 Pilot 5 Apr. 371/1 I have no hesitation in discrediting all forecasts which pretend to tell the weather of the year, or even an entire month or week. 1936 ‘R. Hyde’ Passport to Hell 173 Tinker-grass on which New Zealand children tell their futures. 2010 A. Pearson I think I love You (2011) 54 Didn't people used to look at guts to tell the future, Greeks and that? (c) transitive. colloquial. To make a prediction or prophecy on the basis of an examination of (tea leaves, a person's palm, etc.); = read v. 11b. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > augury, divination from omens > augur, divine from omens [verb (transitive)] conjecturec1384 conject1496 augurate1571 augur1593 augurize1596 ominate1599 portend1605 ariolate1652 tell1891 1891 O. Wilde Ld. Arthur Savile's Crime 8 Now, Mr. Podgers, I want you to tell the Duchess of Paisley's hand. 1916 Ireland (N.Y.) 11 Nov. 13/3 The Wise Woman..shot out the dregs on to the hearth, leaving the tea leaves spread thickly over the sides and bottom of the cup... ‘Whist woman, she's goin' to tell the leaves!’ 1967 Evergreen Rev. Aug. 25/1 Tell you what... I'll tell the tea leaves for you. 1998 J. O'Connor Salesman xv. 302 She could not take money for nothing..but she would tell my palm if I wanted. c. Chiefly colloquial. To disclose something wished to be kept secret; to play the informer, inform, tell tales, blab. (a) intransitive. With on, (less commonly) of (a person).Apparently rare before the 18th cent. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)] > disclose or reveal secrets tell1537 blaba1616 to let the cat out of the bag1760 to blow the gab or gaff1834 to shoot off one's mouth1864 to give the show away1879 unload1904 to spill the beans1919 to shoot the works1922 1537 Bible (Matthew's) 1 Sam. xxvii. D Dauid saued nether man nor woman alyue..for feare leste they shulde telle on them. 1723 Let. 16 May in Cal. State Papers, Colonial (1934) XXXIII. 256 We are as wise as the children, whose common saying is let me alone and I'le let you alone, don't tell on me and I'le not tell on you. 1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. To tell on, to inform of. A doubtful phrase. 1817 W. Scott Rob Roy I. xi. 254 I ask no questions—no man bound to tell on himsell. 1860 ‘G. Eliot’ Mill on Floss I. i. v. 62 He didn't want to ‘tell’ of Maggie. 1897 C. M. Campbell Deilie Jock i. 16 Bobe..used to get mair than his fair share o' the tawse as it was, without my tellin' on him. 1903 G. B. Shaw Man & Superman i. 32 Ann. I never told of you, Jack. Tanner. No; but if you had wanted to stop me you would have told of me. 1943 B. Smith Tree grows in Brooklyn xxxv. 206 And I didn't tell on you either, the time you made a cigarette out of coffee grounds and when you smoked it the paper caught fire [etc.]. 1968 J. Lock Lady Policeman xx. 162 They felt they ought not to ‘tell on her’ unless it was absolutely necessary. 1974 Age (Melbourne) 12 Oct. 12/1 Ooh Aah! I'm going to tell on you: I will inform the authorities. 2003 K. Hosseini Kite Runner (2004) ii. 4 He never told on me. (b) transitive. With on and the person informed as object. ΚΠ ?1576 Common Condicions sig. Gij^v Il tell my Lorde on you now, because you did beate mee. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1623) v. ii. 154 I, 'twas he that told me on her first. 1783 Double Conspiracy ii. 23 Bet. Get away;—I'll tell Father on you. 1890 Ladies' Home Jrnl. June 13/2 You nasty thing! I'm going to tell papa on you, as soon as he comes home. 1915 E. Cook Kindling Hearth Fire i. 15 Ned. Look what Pete gave me. (Exhibits cigarette.) Doris. Give that to me. I'll tell mother on you. 1997 A. Smith Like (2001) 272 Get away from those canal banks Aisling McCarthy or I'll tell your father on you. (c) intransitive. Without construction. ΚΠ 1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful III. iv. 75 I had resolved to tell, and did so, narrating distinctly the circumstances by which the money had been obtained. 1855 New Monthly Mag. Jan. 10 ‘Did you bring Miss Darling a note from your brother this morning?’ ‘Yes, I did,’ stammered Anna. ‘Don't tell, please.’ 1917 W. MacHarg & E. Balmer Indian Drum xi. 189 You tell Ben Corvet I want my money, or I'll tell. 1996 F. McCourt Angela's Ashes (1997) vi. 186 She..runs up the stairs crying, I'll tell, I'll tell, and when we get back to the room Mrs. Clohessy gives Paddy a belt on the head for what he did to his poor little sister. 2011 J. L. Pridgen Color of Justice xxvi. 203 They kept cuttin' their eyes at me, lookin' like, please don't tell, please don't tell. d. transitive. Of time, the future, etc.: to reveal or make plain. Also with double object and intransitive with object implied.Frequently in time will tell (all) at time n., int., and conj. Phrases 6d. ΚΠ 1596 L. Hutton Blacke Dogge of Newgate sig. B4^v Rest now content, and Time will tell thee more. 1599 M. Aray Discouerie Tragical Fiction f. 12 Tyme will tell all. 1654 T. Fuller 2 Serm. 75 Whether this will ever be really effected, or whether it will prove an Abortive..Time will tell. 1712 H. Curzon Universal Libr. I. 285 History will tell us more in an Hour, than a whole Age wou'd shew us. 1847 L. Cass Speech in Niles' Weekly Reg. 20 Mar. 41/3 What we have been and are, the past and the present have told, and are telling us. 1895 Bostonian Dec. 284/2 You haven't much faith in my love, after all, Elsie. Ah, well! Never mind, dear; the future will tell. 1988 Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth) 20 July 12 Today will tell whether the Government has decided to begin the long process of handing over South West Africa. 12. Chiefly with can or be able. a. To be certain or precise in regard to a particular question; to have sufficient knowledge to answer or judge. Most commonly in negative and interrogative contexts, as nobody can tell, who can tell?, etc. Cf. say v.¹ 16. (a) transitive. With the question expressed by an interrogative clause.Often with some suggestion of sense 3b(a). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive, be aware of [verb (intransitive)] tellc1390 to be perceiveda1400 to take cognizance of1635 notice1820 waken1825 to wake to1836 to take notice1845 to tune in1926 the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > perceive [verb (transitive)] acknowOE keepc1000 feelOE findOE seeOE yknowc1275 apperceivec1300 descrivec1300 knowc1300 perceivec1330 taste1340 tellc1390 catcha1398 scenta1398 devisea1400 kena1400 concernc1425 descrya1450 henta1450 apprehend1577 scerne1590 to take in1637 discreevec1650 recognize1795 absorb1840 embrace1852 cognizea1856 cognosce1874 the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (intransitive)] seeOE understandc1000 knowlOE tellc1390 conceive1563 smoke1676 overstand1699 view1711 savvy1785 dig1789 twig1832 capisce1904 the mind > mental capacity > understanding > understand [verb (transitive)] > reach understanding of conceive1340 grope1390 tellc1390 catchc1475 reacha1500 make1531 to make sense of1574 to make outa1625 apprehend1631 realize1742 finda1834 reify1854 recognize1879 to get (something) straight1920 to pick up1946 to work out1953 the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > misjudgement > [phrase] tellc1390 not to see the wood (see wood) for the trees (for trees)1546 c1390 Roberd of Cisyle (Vernon) (1930) l. 244 Wher such cloþ was to selle, Ne ho hit maade, couþe no mon telle. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 353 Noman can telle who wroot it. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) John xvi. f. cxlv We cannot tell what he saith [Gk. οὐκ οἴδαμεν τί λαλεῖ, 1881 R.V. We know not what he saith]. 1553 T. Wilson Arte Rhetorique (1580) 160 Neither can he otherwise chuse but stumble: that gropyng in the darcke can not tell where he is. 1562 Bp. J. Pilkington Vision of Abdy in Aggeus & Abdias Prophetes sig. Ff.vi It is harde to tell whether he offendes God more that does the wronge & oppresses an other, or he that standes by laughing, mocking and scorning. 1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 195 These men haue great knowledge in mettalls, and tell if a peece be good or false as soone as they see it. 1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 142 It is hard to tell whether it be a Horse or an Elephant. 1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 184. ⁋12 None can tell whether the good that he pursues is not evil in disguise. 1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 27/1 The name upon the seal is Maha Rajah Nundocomar. It appears to be his seal; I cannot tell who affixed it. 1838 T. Arnold Hist. Rome (1848) I. 99 Nor can any one tell at what time they attained to their present shape. 1874 A. H. Bogardus Field, Cover, & Trap Shooting xii. 202 I could hardly tell whether a flock was Canada geese, brant geese, or the so-called Mexican geese. 1888 ‘J. S. Winter’ Bootle's Children vi. 41 Jane doesn't seem to like it—I can't tell why. 1906 McClure's Mag. 26 414 You never could tell where Texas Pete was goin' to jump next. 1959 I. Gershwin Lyrics on Several Occasions 361 The resultant compositions sang so naturally that I doubt if any listener, lacking the mentions in this note, could tell which came first—the words or the music. 2009 C. Neilan Abattoir Jack xiv. 101 You just can't tell what men like that are thinking. (b) intransitive. With the question stated in or implied by the context. ΚΠ 1601 R. Yarington Two Lamentable Trag. sig. C4^v Loney. Wheres maister Beech? Neigh. Nay, no body can tell. a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Coxcombe iii. i. in Comedies & Trag. (1647) 106/2 If I might councel you, I think 'twere better to go home, and try what may be done yet, hee may bee at home afore you, who can tell? 1700 T. Southerne Fate of Capua i. iii. 20 O! cou'd thy gentleness of Soul infuse Its Spirit into my Breast, to temper mine; How shou'd I then be blest! But who can tell? Perhaps 'tis better order'd as it is. 1714 S. Centlivre Wonder v. 66 Col. How went she? Fred. No body can tell, they conjecture thro' the Window. 1816 G. Flagg Let. 12 Nov. in Flagg Corr. (1986) 3 What the New England people call towns and villages they call townships & towns. I have asked many people what township they lived in & they could not tell. 1897 Quiver 645/2 ‘But do you like her?’ reiterated Cicely. ‘I cannot tell. She is very fascinating, and amusingly unconventional.’ 1955 S. Wilson Man in Grey Flannel Suit viii. 54 We won't be able to tell about the pelvis till we take her to hospital and get her X-rayed. 2011 Guardian 14 Apr. (G2 section) 2/2 Will this be the future of cinema? It's difficult to tell. b. transitive. To recognize, distinguish, or discern (someone or something); to form a definite view in regard to (something); to ascertain. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > discriminate, distinguish [phrase] to tell tother (or t'other) from whicha1325 can (or could) skillc1340 tella1425 to thread the difference1627 to cut (to) a thread (between)1647 to draw the line1766 the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > discern [verb (transitive)] > recognize as different sundereOE distinct1303 knowc1330 distinguea1340 kena1400 tella1425 discern1484 distinguish1561 smell1582 discriminate1637 undifference1654 a1425 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Galba) l. 29482 (MED) In cursing all men may þam tell þat lang in dedly sin will dwell. a1500 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Hunterian) (1976) 147 How shuldyn meen tellyn or knowyn al þis dyuerste be þe bodyis abouyn? c1565 A. B. Merie Tales Gotam viii. sig. A.viii Some sayde lett the Hare alone, he can tel a nearer way then the best of vs all. 1625 J. Hart Anat. Urines ii. viii. 99 So much lesse art thou able to tell the time of it. 1682 T. D'Urfey Injured Princess ii. i. 12 Who can tell a Murderer by his Face? 1746 P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Satires ii. iv. 58 None before me so sapient to engage To tell the various nature, or the age Of fish and fowl. 1792 H. H. Brackenridge Mod. Chivalry I. i. 18 But the Captain having no faith in telling disorders by the urine, thought proper to send for a surgeon. 1840 R. H. Dana Two Years before Mast xiii. 29 They can be told by their complexions, dress, manner, and also by their speech. 1883 ‘M. Twain’ Life on Mississippi xxiv. 231 You can tell a wind-reef, straight off, by the look of it. 1936 ‘G. Orwell’ Diary 11 Feb. in Coll. Ess. (1968) I. 176 You can always tell a miner by the blue tattooing of coal dust on the bridge of his nose. 1979 P. Norman Skaters' Waltz 107 They are counting the spots on a ladybird to tell its age. 2005 Elle Girl (U.K. ed.) Feb. 14/1 I think British girls have great natural style—it's the way they put things together. You can always tell a girl from the UK. c. transitive. With clause as object: to perceive clearly (that something is the case). Also intransitive. ΚΠ c1475 tr. Secreta Secret. (Tripolitanus abbrev.) (1977) 372 (MED) Make neuer thy messangere of a man will be drunke, for by him shall be tolde and knowen [L. cognoscebant] that his lorde is nat wyse. 1665 E. Stillingfleet Rational Acct. Protestant Relig. i. v. 154 No one that can tell, that two and two make four, can question but if the Doctrine of Christ be true. 1728 H. Curson Office & Duty Executors (new ed.) Suppl. 462 The Court demanded of the Witnesses, Whether a Stranger..could tell that the Devise of the Lands in Question was to Etheringham. 1778 Transmigration 3 The Disputant can quickly tell They're something like Lines parallel. 1838 Dublin Univ. Mag. Mar. 290/1 Sure I can tell—Miss Goulding can tell—the whole world can tell, that it was Mrs. Smith, herself. 1873 M. Oliphant Innocent II. 231 It was..a dog-cart..he could tell as much by the sound. 1902 H. James Wings of Dove (1969) v. iii. 195 He asked me scarcely anything—he doesn't need to... He can tell. He knows. 1924 ‘K. Mansfield’ Something Childish 124 They're not respectable women—you can tell at a glance. 1963 J. Fowles Collector i. 49 I always thought people could tell I lived on my own. 2005 M. Atwood Penelopiad ix. 60 Though she gave me a formal welcome I could tell she didn't approve of me. d. transitive. Of a person: to determine or ascertain (the time of day) by the position of the sun, by means of a clock, etc.; to read (the time on) the face of a clock or watch. Cf. earlier to tell the clock at Phrases 7.In North American usage often as to tell time. ΚΠ 1656 tr. T. White Peripateticall Inst. 116 Neither could a Man tell the houres of the day as a Clock does, which yet is it self but a work of our Reason. 1725 T. Lewis Origines Hebrææ IV. vii. ii. 6 In this Manner the Peasants can tell the Hour of the Day, without Dial and Clock, by the Shadow of their Cottages. 1819 W. Irving Rip Van Winkle in Sketch Bk. i. 68 The neighbours could tell the hour by his movements as accurately as by a sun dial. 1840 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop I. xi. 150 You can see a piece of the church clock through the chimneys, and almost tell the time. 1871 L. M. Alcott Little Men xvii. 295 At present I have no means of telling time, and am often late at school. 1921 J. B. Thomson Art of teaching Arithm. (ed. 2) ii. 8 The child who has learnt to tell the time finds that his life is his to order and arrange as never before. 1948 Chicago Defender 16 Oct. 6/4 One can always buy another clock, or even tell time by the sun, if push comes to shove. 1984 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 24 Dec. He'd pull out his watch..then say, ‘Would you believe it?’ and shove it at you to have a look yourself so he didn't have to admit he couldn't tell the time. 2014 Irish Independent (Nexis) 11 Apr. 3 In my kitchen I tell the time by the clock on the cooker. e. transitive. To distinguish (one thing) from another. In later use also intransitive: to distinguish between two or more things. See also to tell apart at Phrasal verbs 1. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > discernment, discrimination > discern [verb (transitive)] wita1300 discerna1400 to have eyes to seea1425 decern1559 discover1581 dignoscea1639 dignote1657 tell1657 diagnose1861 1657 J. Rowland tr. J. Johnstone Hist. Wonderful Things of Nature vii. xxii. 223 Formerly in England a Lyon could tell noble blood from base. 1710 C. Shadwell Fair Quaker of Deal iii. 36 Ne'er a Commission-Officer in our Ship could tell Starbord from Larboard. 1713 H. Felton Diss. Reading Classics 145 Every body can tell Sweet from Bitter. 1850 String of Pearls 109 I never could tell the pork from the veal myself, for they seemed to me both alike. 1880 St. Thomas's Hosp. Rep. 10 43 Totally colour-blind; ‘I can only tell between white, black, and brown;’ asked for ‘brown’ he picked up scarlet. 1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xvi. 195 An ordinary man of common intelligence can tell a wall raised by..a competent builder from the attempted imitation of a bungling amateur. 1919 J. Thurber Let. 31 May (2002) 42 You can sure tell an American lass from all the other races over here in half a glance. 1992 Independent 7 Aug. 3/8 The Kennel Club does not recognise American pit bulls as a breed, so in Britain there is no means of telling between the two. 2011 New Yorker 14 Feb. 128/2 You could no longer tell the real from the simulated. †13. intransitive. To pray to. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > prayer > pray [verb (intransitive)] i-bid971 bidc1175 ure?c1225 prayc1300 to bid a beada1325 to say one's beadsa1325 tellc1450 to tell or count one's beads1641 c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 1755 To þe castell he rod..To Jhesu bad and tolde To sende hym tydynge glad. 14. a. transitive. To order, command, instruct, direct, or enjoin (a person) to do something; to request or advise authoritatively. Chiefly with infinitive clause. Also in extended use with reference to physiological signals, computer instructions, etc.rare before the late 17th cent. ΘΚΠ society > authority > command > command or bidding > command [verb (transitive)] i-bedea800 highteOE bid971 bibedec1000 ordainc1325 warnc1380 commanda1382 tella1475 mand1483 wishc1515 hest1582 behight1591 order1609 mandate1623 warrant1632 a1475 J. Russell Bk. Nurture (Harl. 4011) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 132 Ley it with-out ruffelynge streiȝt to þat oþer side, y þe telle. 1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love ii. iii. sig. D4 Place your Mirror in your Hat, as I tolde you. View more context for this quotation 1678 in tr. J. Le Noir New Politick Lights Pref. sig. a6 Another dreams a Dream, that such a Saint appeared to him, and told him to dig in such a place for such a thing. 1693 R. Lyde True Acct. Retaking of Ship 10 I told him to knock down that Man at the Helm. ?1697 J. Lewis Mem. Duke of Glocester (1789) 78 The princess ordered Mrs. Wanley to tell me not to shew him any more, as she intended to have him taught regularly. 1758 T. Bullitt Let. 21 May in G. Washington Papers (1988) V. 190 I'be Oblige to you if you'll tell the Doctr to bring down some Sarve fore sore Leggs. 1786 J. Woodforde Diary 8 Dec. (1926) II. 288 I asked him to drink and told Betty to draw some. 1835 F. Chamier Unfortunate Man I. iv. 117 He was told to be silent, in a tone of voice which set me shaking. 1879 T. L. Cuyler Pointed Papers 19 Christ nowhere tells sinners to wait for revivals. 1899 R. Kipling Stalky & Co. i. 15 Tell the Sergeant to keep his eye open. 1917 Independent (N.Y.) 17 Nov. 349/2 I am tubercular. My doctor has told me to sleep out of doors. 1963 Life 8 Nov. 85/3 All [the drugs] somehow interfere with the signals that tell the body to eat. 1964 J. Bernstein Analyt. Engine iii. 70 Next comes the message +400 202; it tells the machine to add the number in Address 202 to whatever is in the accumulator. 1989 B. Malamud People 191 She was an active girl,..getting things done without having to be told. 2014 Daily Tel. 21 Mar. (Sport section) 10/1 Factories have been shut and shops told to close early in order to avoid power cuts at the stadiums. †b. transitive. To direct (a person) to a place. Cf. teach v. 3a. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > show (the way) [verb (transitive)] > lead back teachc893 forleadOE to lead the wayc1175 kenc1200 dressc1330 lerec1330 guy1362 guidec1374 reduce?a1425 tell1485 way lead1485 arrect1530 reconduct1566 reduct1580 1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) xvi. x. sig. Rij^v Canst thow telle me vnto somme chappel where that I may burye this body. c. transitive. In passive. To accept orders or direction. Only in negative contexts, esp. in will not be told. ΘΚΠ society > authority > subjection > obedience > obey or be obedient [verb (intransitive)] bow?c1225 obeyc1375 obeisha1382 clinea1400 obtempera1492 obtemperate?1533 say1588 tell1859 1859 G. Cupples Hinchbridge Haunted vi. 106 ‘The driver wanted it put up all night—would take no denial either...’ ‘Can't put up a 'oss this blessed night, ye know, boy,’ answered Muggops hastily... ‘A' won't be told, though,’ insisted Jim. 1898 Mrs. H. Ward Helbeck i. v. 101 He's that masterful he woan't be towd. 1900 H. Sutcliffe Shameless Wayne xiii. 170 He's getten a peffing cough.., but he willun't be telled. 1977 B. Bainbridge Injury Time (1978) xv. 127 Teddy did warn you... But you wouldn't be told. 1994 J. Little Inside 60 Minutes iii. 23 She's not just single minded, on occasions she's just plain pig headed and won't be told by anyone. 2002 D. Wiltse Hangman's Knot i. 9 Billy put his foot on Lapolla's shoulder and shoved him away from the dog... ‘You just will not be told, will you, Bert?’ 15. transitive. Of a clock, watch, etc.: to indicate (the time); (sometimes) spec. to indicate (the hour or the time, or a specific time) by chiming. Also with double object.The past participle told may in some cases be intended as a past participle of toll v.² (cf. sense 3). ΚΠ 1566 W. Painter tr. O. Landi Delectable Demaundes iii. f. 65 Why would nature that the Lupine should be torned to wardes the sonne, to do the office of a Dyall, by telling the time of the daie vnto the Countrie people? 1597 W. Barlow Navigator's Supply sig. F3^v In the Semi-equator the Moueable Meridian telleth you the houre, and the Semicircle of Altitudes in the Horizon, makes manifest the true Point of the Compasse.] a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. ii. 10 All Offices are open, and there is full liberty, from this present houre of fiue, till the bell hath told eleuen. 1640 J. D. Knave in Graine iii. sig. G2^v The Chime that tells the last minuite of the night, Chides but in vaine when every thing's a sleepe. 1750 M. Browne Sunday Thoughts: Pt. II. 21 The solemn bell Resounding hoarse, has told the hour of morn. a1807 W. Wordsworth Prelude (1959) iii. 72 Trinity's loquacious Clock..told the hours Twice over with a male and female voice. 1842 C. Fox Jrnl. 1 Jan. in Mem. Old Friends (1882) viii. 147 The winding-up of our watch that it may tell us the time to-morrow. 1845 New Sporting Mag. Oct. 262 Then did the shooting go ahead..till the clock told half-past two of the afternoon. 1924 R. H. Mottram Spanish Farm ii. 117 When Madeleine next had attention to spare for such matters, the chimes were telling six o'clock. 1995 P. Woodward My Own Right Time iv. 32 A pawl pivoted on the pendulum rod drove this little wheel round, and my clock then told the time. 2009 M. Adams Sarah Boone iii. 31 The congregation slowly made its way inside as the church bell told the hour. 16. transitive. Chiefly Scottish. To drive (pain, bewitchment, etc.) away or out by uttering the requisite (incantatory) words. Sc. National Dict. records this sense as still in use in Shetland in 1972. ΚΠ 1708 Session Reg. in G. Low Tour Orkney & Shetl. (1879) App. 203 He wanted the power of one of his Knees, and enquired her if she could not tell out the paine of the said knee... She..declared..that she has heard from others that a pain or a stitch has been telled out in that manner. 1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shetland Islands 581 The religious charmer of Shetland would mutter some words over water,..and limbs were washed with it, for the purpose of telling out pains. 1869 J. T. Reid Art Rambles 25 Papa Stourians believed that the beadle of the kirk had the power of ‘telling’ the sparrows away so as never to return. 1927 Word-lore Dec. 199 The custom was to seek the aid of certain women who were said to be gifted with the power of ‘tellin' awa' da trows’. II. To mention numerically, to count, reckon. 17. a. transitive. To count (the members of a series or group); to enumerate, reckon, number. Also intransitive. See also to tell out 1 at Phrasal verbs 1. Now rare in general use (chiefly English regional (northern) in later use).all told: see Phrases 11. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] rimeeOE arimec885 atellc885 talec897 i-telle971 tellOE readc1225 reckon?c1225 aima1375 numbera1382 denumber1382 accounta1393 casta1400 countc1400 umberc1400 ascribe1432 annumerate?a1475 to sum upa1475 annumbera1500 ennumber1535 reckon?1537 tally1542 compute1579 recount1581 rate1599 catalogize1602 to add up1611 suma1616 enumeratea1649 numerate1657 to run up1830 to figure out1834 figure1854 to count up1872 enumer1936 the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > separate by counting tellOE tale1631 to tell off1827 to count out1865 OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) xv. 5 Tell þas steorran, gyf ðu mæge. OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Num. (Claud.) iii. 15 Tele ælcne wæpnedman on Leuies mægðe... Moyses ða tealde, swa Drihten him bebead. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 4550 & wha se wile tellenn hemm Bi tale he findeþþ ehhte. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12165 To tellen [c1300 Otho telle] þat folc of Kairliun ne mihte hit na mon idon. a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. viii. xxi. 499 Onliche he knowiþ how many þey bene þat noumbriþ and telliþ þe sterris. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13302 Tuelue þai war to tell in tale. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. cxliii/2 He tolde atte table syttyng xiij poure pylgryms. ?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xvi^v Let hym go to theende of his lande & begyn and tell .ix. sheues & let hym cast out the .x. sheffe in the name of god. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Sam. xiv. 17 Tell and se which of vs is gone awaye. And whan they nombred, beholde, Ionathas & his wapen bearer was not there. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xxi. B They pearsed my hondes and my fete, I might haue tolde [1560 Geneva I maie tel] all my bones. 1613 W. Browne Shepherd's Pipe v. i Morne had got the start of night..When the shepheards from the fold All their bleating charges told. 1657 J. Watts Scribe, Pharisee 43 Every countreyman can tell his Geese, and reckon right. 1696 T. Wagstaffe Acct. Proc. recoining Clipp'd Money 8 His Son (who can scarce tell ten) is one of the Tellers in the Exchequer. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 254 He could not tell Twenty in English; but he numbred them, by laying so many Stones on a Row, and pointing to me to tell them over. 1748 J. Mason Ess. Elocution 24 A Comma stops the Voice while we may privately tell one, a Semi-colon two; a Colon three: and a Period four. 1821 J. Clare Village Minstrel II. 31 The shepherd had told all his sheep. 1853 S. Nash Digest Decisions Supreme Court Ohio 647 The payer is not bound to count out the money; it is sufficient that..enough was offered to the party; the law requires of the payee to tell the money. 1866 A. Edersheim Golden Diary xxxii. 257 What is added [in Psalm 22] of telling or counting all His bones..has been so literally fulfilled, and that only in Christ, that [etc.]. 1895 A. Patterson Man & Nature on Broads 123 Says she, ‘Doan't yow tell (count) yer chickens afore yer hatch 'em.’ 1919 H. Bayley Archaic Eng. (1920) xii. 682 Even to-day the shepherds of the Borrowdale district tell their sheep in the old British numerals. 1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 136/2 Thoo'll hae a bonny job ti tell em all. b. transitive. spec. To count (voters or votes). Also intransitive.In later use chiefly with reference to the formal reporting of votes in a legislative assembly; cf. teller n. 2b.to tell noses: see nose n. Phrases 2d. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count people tell1511 muster1565 poll1649 to tell off1727 census1881 1511 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 4 Foster desyred off the mayre..to tell the fremen..for thalecc'on off a alderman;..they were men truly told. 1647 Jrnls. House of Lords 9 Mar. (1771) IX. 70/1 The Lord Della Warr and the Lord North were appointed to tell the Votes. 1669 A. Marvell Let. 20 Nov. in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 91 The Tellers for the Ayes chanced to be very ill reckoners so that they were forced to tell severall times over. 1700 P. Danet Compl. Dict. Greek & Rom. Antiq. at Suffragium Having done, they told the Suffrages; and the Crier said with a loud voice; Prærogativa renunciat talem Consulem. 1789 Gentleman's Mag. Aug. 696 (heading) Mr. Travis's Exactness in telling Votes. 1870 Daily News 7 May 2/1 After the division Mr. Dodson brought to the knowledge of the Committee the circumstance that he had appointed Sir H. B. a teller, but that that hon. baronet had refused to tell. 1899 Jrnl. House of Commons 17 May 154 214/1 The House was told by Mr. Speaker, and, twenty-four members only being present, Mr. Speaker retired from the Chair until four of the clock, when the House was again told. 1966 National Assembly Official Rep. (Republic of Kenya) 10 29 Nov. 2112 I have explained that when it comes to telling the votes we take one of each side to tell on each side. 2003 Eng. Hist. Rev. 118 590 Two of his colleagues in the high court of justice..appear to have agreed, telling the votes of MPs who wished that day to send a reply to the upper house by the hands of their lordships' own messengers. c. transitive. To use (rosary beads or the like) as an aid to counting prayers as an act of devotion, esp. in the Roman Catholic Church (see also to tell one's beads at bead n. 2b); to recite (prayers) in this way.Also in allusive and extended use, as to tell tears: to weep. ΚΠ 1588 J. Aske Elizabetha Triumphans sig. F^v They told their Beades so oft..as that they fell asleepe, And so left off to perseuere in prayers. 1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 551 They annoint beades whereuppon they tell their prayers. 1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper iii. 188 Telling the panes of glasse, as fast as a Papist doth his Beads. 1651 T. L. To Church of Rome in Πολύπενϑεος Θρηνωδία 18 Thou..canst not goe downe and sit, and tell tears with him. a1735 Earl of Haddington 40 Select Poems (1753) xvii. 131 When a nun and frier Are left together in a cell,..they do something else than tell Their rosary. 1760 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy II. xvii. 123 Cross himself;—tell his beads;—be a good Catholick. 1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 265 I..see nothing..but people telling their beads. 1841 C. Dickens Master Humphrey's Clock III. 421 How often have I listened to it [sc. the clock] as it told the beads of time, and wondered at its constancy! 1852 D. Rock Church our Fathers III. ix. 326 That noble Anglo-Saxon lady Godiva told her prayers on gems threaded together for that purpose. 1857 R. W. Emerson Hermione i On a mound an Arab lay,..And told his amulets. 1912 G. F. Abbott Holy War in Tripoli 274 Some of the older ones tell the beads of meditation, or mark the crawling hours with pinches of snuff. 1935 H. Heslop Last Cage Down iii. i. 285 They marched..to the cemetery where the vicar told his simple beads over the bodies. 1970 P. Huson Mastering Witchcraft ii. 44 Some practitioners..use it as a type of ritual rosary when they are performing a spell with a lot of repetitions in it, telling the knots in it like beads. 1991 G. Eisman tr. S. Ousmane Niiwam & Taaw 31 On mats and sheepskins a congregation of a dozen or so, lined up in a row and a half behind the Imam, were telling their beads. 2013 Sunday World (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 8 Dec. A woman..kneels on the pavement solemnly and silently telling her rosary. †d. transitive. To have lived for (a specified number of years); to be aged (so much). Cf. number v. 7. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > life > source or principle of life > age > [verb (transitive)] beOE number1590 tell1605 1605 W. Camden Remaines ii. 58 Here lieth he, who was borne and cried, Told threescore yeares, fell sick, and died. 1613 G. Wither Abuses Stript Occas. sig. B7 I grew so old, That I had amost thrice fiue winters told. 1645 J. Milton Epitaph Marchioness of Winchester in Poems 23 Summers three times eight save one She had told. 1770 J. Armstrong Forced Marriage i. ii. 10 How you dictate! But I have told more years than you, have seen A little more of life too; and 'tis hard If old experience has not taught me something. 1825 C. Lamb in London Mag. June 217 The daughter of my old friend..having attained the womanly age of nineteen, was conducted to the church by her..cousin.., who told some few years older. 1855 Ladies' Compan. June 303/1 In age, he could barely have told twenty years. 18. †a. transitive. To reckon up or calculate the total amount or value of (money or other things); to count up. Obsolete.Not always easily distinguishable from sense 17. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count valuable items tellOE to tell over1579 society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (transitive)] > reckon up tellOE tail1377 foot1491 tailye1497 to tell over1579 total1716 tot1770 OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xiv. 28 Hwylc eower wyle timbrian anne stypel, hu ne sytt he ærest & teleð [OE Lindisf. Gospels getelles; L. conputat] þa andfengas þe him behefe synt. c1225 (?OE) Soul's Addr. to Body (Worcester) (Fragm. B) l. 6 Hwar beoþ nu þeo pundes þurh [pa]newes igædered? (Heo weren monifolde bi markes itolde.) c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 2615 Þei wore on a litel stunde Grethet, als men mithe telle a pund. ?c1430 (c1400) Rule St. Francis (Corpus Cambr.) in F. D. Matthew Eng. Wks. Wyclif (1880) 46 (MED) Þei wolen telle gold and money. c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 85 Forto nombre and telle the quantite and porcion of everie manis part that they broughte. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. HHHvii If I shulde tell money or carue wryte or sowe any subtyll worke, whiche requireth singlar or speciall study. 1594 T. Lodge & R. Greene Looking Glasse sig. B3^v Come sir will you dispatch and tell your mony. 1609 J. Skene tr. Regiam Majestatem i. f. 36 Quhen he is fourtene ȝeares compleit or quhen he can number and tell silver. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 92 What it [sc. his cargo] really amounted to, I knew not, for I never told it. 1830 J. F. Cooper Water Witch I. ix. 158 Didst say just eighty? But spare thyself the trouble of looking for the memorandum; I will tell the gold myself. 1897 R. D. Blackmore Dariel xxxi. 268 Grace, like a miser telling his moidores, was entering the upshot upon a white slate. b. transitive. To count out (pieces of money) in payment; (hence) to pay (money). Now only with down or out: see to tell down at Phrasal verbs 1, to tell out 1 at Phrasal verbs 1. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > payment > pay money or things [verb (transitive)] > count or weigh out in payment reckonOE tell?a1300 weigh1382 number1474 ?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 133 (MED) Hi casten hond to purse, þe panes beþ itold. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1993 So michel fe ðor is hem told, He hauen him [sc. Joseph] bogt, he hauen sold. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4835 We..haue..Al redi penijs for to tell If we moght find her oght to sell. c1480 (a1400) St. Matthias 270 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 230 He [h]is master to þame sald, for thretty pennys to hym talde. ?c1600 (c1515) Sc. Field (Lyme) 41 in I. F. Baird Poems Stanley Family (D.Phil. thesis, Univ. of Birm.) (1990) 230 They paid him tributes many tolde thowsands That they might live in their lande. 1621 T. W. tr. S. Goulart Wise Vieillard 84 His promise should passe for ready pay, and for money told on the nayle. 1723 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack (ed. 2) 44 He told the Money into my Hand. 1745 Proc. Old Bailey 27 Feb. 83/1 She saw her landlady tell the money into the purse. 1872 Appletons' Jrnl. 10 Aug. 160/1 ‘There!’ said she, telling the money into Howlet's palm, ‘yer paid!’ 1909 C. Lee Our Little Town (1912) 251 She..told the money into his disengaged hand. †c. intransitive. To be counted. Also: to amount to (see also to tell up at Phrasal verbs 1). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > enumerate, reckon, or calculate [verb (intransitive)] > amount or be equal to goeOE risec1175 amount1399 mountc1400 to come to ——?a1425 draw1425 reach1431 to run to ——1528 surmount1551 to come unto ——1562 arise1594 to equivalize account1647 tell1671 sum1721 reckon1783 count1819 number1842 to add up1850 to add up to1853 to work out1867 total1880 to tot up1882 the world > relative properties > quantity > amount to a quantity or amount [verb (transitive)] waxc1330 amountc1350 amount1399 to make up1504 to run to ——1528 to make out1535 sum1609 amound1642 tella1794 size1917 1671 R. Head & F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue III. xviii. 262 To walk through Cheapside, or Lombard-street, with little or no money in my pocket, and see..so great a quantity of Jacobus'es and other Gold, either lying in their Glass-Cases, or telling on the Compters. 1774 E. Burke Let. in Corr. (1961) III. 39 Lord Verney..has told in Parliament including himself for four Members. a1794 S. Blamire Meeting in Poet. Wks. (1842) 215 Our butter tells to fourteen pun'. III. To account, or estimate, qualitatively. †19. transitive. To consider (something) to be, or be equivalent to, what is described in the associated complement or phrase; = account v. 6. With object complement; also with for or (in early use) to. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > appraise, estimate [verb (transitive)] > consider to be, account as telleOE talec897 seeOE letc1000 holdc1200 reckon1340 aima1382 accounta1387 counta1387 judgec1390 takea1400 countc1400 receivec1400 existimatec1430 to look on ——?c1430 makec1440 reputea1449 suppose1474 treatc1485 determinea1513 recount?c1525 esteem1526 believe1533 estimate?1533 ascribe1535 consider1539 regard1547 count1553 to look upon ——1553 take1561 reck1567 eye?1593 censure1597 subscribe1600 perhibit1613 behold1642 resent1642 attributea1657 fancy1662 vogue1675 decount1762 to put down1788 to set down1798 rate1854 have1867 mean1878 eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) iii. 35 He fleah ðæt rice, & tealde hine selfne his suiðe unwierðne [L. indignum se prius considerans]. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxviii. 251 Ðeah ðe hwa fede ænne ðearfan oððe ma for godes naman, hu mæg he þæt to micclum tellan? OE Wulfstan False Gods (Hatton 113) (1957) 222 Þas manfullan men..wæron getealde for ða mærostan godas þa on ðam dagum. c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 639 Son se þu telest [a1250 Titus telles] te betere þen an oðer,..þu..brekest ti wedlac towart godd. a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 118 (MED) Ich telle him for a dote. c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 1110 (MED) Y telle þat man a conioun Þat to þe ȝiueþ ani listening. ?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. 2761 If any man did þam wo, it was told [a1450 Lamb. teld] for felonye. 1411 Rolls of Parl.: Henry IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1411 §14. m. 14 They schalle tellen hem wel payed with favour and grace. c1430 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1882) iii. l. 814 Wordeli selynesse Which clerkis tellyn fals felicite. a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 4132 ‘Doo way,’ quod the king,..‘I tel hir myne.’ a1525 Eng. Conquest Ireland (Trin. Dublin) (1896) 2 Leynyster, that is I-told þe fifte parte of Irland. †20. intransitive and transitive. With adverb or pronoun of quantity: to think much, little, etc., of; to set much or little store by. Also transitive: to have (a specified estimate) of (chiefly with tale). Also with to. Obsolete.to tell (little, etc.) price of: see price n. 4a. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > appraise, estimate [verb (transitive)] > view in a certain way findOE telllOE to take for ——a1393 receivec1400 notec1440 reputec1475 esteem1532 read1591 estimate1609 relish1617 set1648 resent1649 view1715 contemplate1785 lOE tr. Honorius Augustodunensis Elucidarium in R. D.-N. Warner Early Eng. Homilies (1917) 141 Eall þæt is for þan gode mannen, þæt heo ascunigen & lytel tellen & unwurð of þan wele þe þa yfela mæn byð of swa swyðe asadede. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 147 On twa wise Mon mei forlete world winne:..an oðer is þet he telle swa lutel tale þer of þet he hit nawicht ne luuie. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Royal) (1981) 40 Hire þuhte god to habben monie under hire & beon icleopet lefdi þet feole telleð welto. c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 793 Telstu bi me þe wurs forþan Þat ich bute anne craft nekan? c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7542 (MED) Vor bote a man conne frenss, me telþ of him lute. a1400 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Egerton) (1966) l. 760 (MED) Of his lyf tolde he not a beene. c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 2178 (MED) Thei tolde right nauȝt of thyn awe. a1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Tanner) (1871) l. 326 The fowles smale..etyn as that natur wolde enclyne As worm or thing of which I tel no tale. a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xlv. l. 38 This peple, he seide ful Schortly, Nis non thing Forto tellen by. a1500 Partenay (Trin. Cambr.) l. 3029 (MED) Thys Geaunt noght told of hym in no degre. a1500 (c1380) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 468 Whanne þey tellen more bi a cronycle of foly..þan þey tellen bi cristis lawe. 21. a. intransitive. Of an argument, circumstance, piece of information, etc.: to have weight or influence in favour of (also for) or against a particular point of view, candidate, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > operation upon something > exert operative influence [verb (intransitive)] > have influence tell1763 1763 Appeal in behalf G. Johnstone 28 I have quoted a passage above, that seems to tell against myself. 1770 London Evening Post 22 Dec. Does not this argument tell in favour of what these Honourable Gentlemen call a restraint on the press? 1783 Morning Herald 6 Aug. They speak..in a very high tone to the Court of France, thinking that when out of office, this will tell well for them. 1850 E. P. Whipple Ess. & Rev. (ed. 3) I. 213 Examples which tell against kirk as well as against church. 1870 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (ed. 2) I. App. 648 It tells somewhat against his interpretation. 1955 Times 22 Aug. 2/4 It was the way they took their chances on the greens that told so heavily in their favour. 1994 H. Burton Leonard Bernstein ii. xvii. 160 It has..been suggested that his undoubted Jewishness and his rumored homosexuality also told against him with the orchestra's trustees. b. intransitive. More generally: to be effective or efficacious; to have the desired effect; to have significance, to be of account, to count; (formerly also) †to make an impression, be impressive (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > operation upon something > exert operative influence [verb (intransitive)] imprest1652 bear1658 evirtuate1676 tell1779 to come into ——1881 the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)] reckeOE recka1250 attainc1374 beforcec1375 pertaina1382 concern1477 import1539 signifya1616 to trench into (unto)1621 to bear (a) (great) state1623 urge1654 relate1655 bulk1672 refer1677 argufy1751 to be no small drinka1774 tell1779 reckon1811 to count for (much, little, nothing, etc.)1857 to stand for something (or nothing)1863 shout1876 count1885 mind1915 rate1926 the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > be efficacious [verb (intransitive)] > be valid or count for something servec1475 tell1779 1779 Gazetteer & New Daily Advertiser 13 July Our guns told well on both sides; we were soon left destitute of rigging and sails. 1783 Public Advertiser 7 Oct. 2/2 Yet strange to tell it, this Distinction, which as the Players call it, tells most forcibly, Garrick overlooked. 1789 Oracle 16 July The Jew's blows told so well about the head and face, that, short as the time was, poor Jack was quite a changeling. 1797 Monthly Mag. 3 546 Every blow that they receive upon their projecting surface, tells. 1811 C. Lamb Genius & Char. Hogarth in Wks. (1895) 277 Everything in the print, to use a vulgar expression, tells. 1812 Sporting Mag. 39 102 Several blows of consequence told. 1833 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Loire 24 These peculiarities make the place tell well in an outside view. 1866 C. Kingsley Hereward the Wake I. iii. 123 Martin Lightfoot saw that his appeal to the antipathies of race had told. 1892 H. James Lesson of Master 1 The crimson dress which made so vivid a spot, told so as a ‘bit of colour’ amid the fresh, rich green. 1960 A. Duggan Family Favourites (1973) v. 89 We cast our javelins just as the line met, so that nearly every one told. 1984 A. Brookner Hotel du Lac (1985) iii. 49 Now, Edith, he had said, wiping her eyes.., this is when character tells. 2011 E. Cooper Songs of Earth (2013) xxxii. 422 Strike for the heartwood, and make each blow tell. c. intransitive. To have a noticeable deleterious effect (on or upon someone or something); to take its toll. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > do harm [verb (intransitive)] > affect disadvantageously ruba1586 tell1816 1816 Edinb. Med. & Surg. Jrnl. 12 146 This greatly augmented temperature soon began to tell on the people, and gave rise to many cases of cholera and of ardent fever. 1866 ‘M. Harland’ Sunnybank xi. 133 Anxiety and suspense are beginning to tell upon her strength and spirits. 1877 R. H. Roberts Harry Holbrooke of Holbrooke Hall ii. 33 Going..at a pace..that began to tell upon the horses. 1904 H. O. Sturgis Belchamber (1986) xii. 160 The two railway journeys would in themselves have told on him. 1934 Rotarian Jan. 9/2 When the fresh air and the excitement of the trip begins to tell, and you feel that lunch hour is near. 1996 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 23 May 9/1 Charming as ever he is but I must report that the demands of running a busy city centre bar are beginning to tell on him. 2011 P. Popham Lady & Peacock iv. v. 331 As the years passed and every visa application after 1995 was turned down, the strain began to tell. Phrases P1. With tale. See also sense 20. a. to tell one's tale: to relate one's story; (also) to say what one has to say, to deliver one's message.Quot. 1645 probably belongs here, though some editors of Milton have referred it to sense 17, taking it as ‘counts his number or sum (i.e. of sheep)’. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > message > send a message or messenger [verb (transitive)] > deliver one's message to tell one's taleOE society > leisure > the arts > literature > prose > narrative or story > tell a story [verb (intransitive)] to tell one's taleOE narrate1795 to spin a yarn1819 yarn1859 to spin a twist1867 OE Royal Charter: William I to Archbishops, Bishops, & Others, supporting Rights of Abbot Baldwin in D. C. Douglas Feudal Documents Abbey Bury St. Edmunds (1932) 53 Se biscop tealde ful gerædelice his tale gif hit soð wære. c1330 (?a1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) p. 552 Þer com þe fischer priueliche, & puked þemperour softliche: His tale to him he told. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 3174 Sorwfulli to that sche preide He tolde his tale. c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 3140 (MED) Tofore þe kyng on knee he duelleþ, And gentillich his tale he telleþ. a1475 Sidrak & Bokkus (Lansd.) (1999) II. l. 11300 Many men in pleting..to telle her tale abaisshed be. 1539 R. Morison Invective ayenste Treason sig. F They..dyd moch wonder that day, to here him tel his tale. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. iii. 252 Good vncle tell your tale, I haue done. View more context for this quotation 1645 J. Milton L'Allegro in Poems 33 And every Shepherd tells his tale Under the Hawthorn in the dale. 1790 Edinb. Herald 8 Sept. 1/4 The Gaberlunzie tirils my sneck, And shiv'ring tells his waefu' tale. 1883 Cent. Mag. Nov. 86/2 He knows all their secrets,—butcher, baker, coal-dealer, tailor, milliner, mantua-maker, servants, all tell their tales to him. 1953 Life 8 June 35/1 To protect his honor and his children, Georgescu had told his tale to the State Department. 2001 N.Y. Times 3 June v. 16/1 The crime took place at 1 p.m., and I went to the Marylebone Police Station and told my tale to a harried sergeant. b. to tell tales: see tale n. 3c. to tell tales out of school: see school n.¹ Phrases 6. c. to tell the tale. (a) In various phrases expressing the fact of having survived a dangerous experience and therefore being able to recount or reflect upon it (esp. in to live to tell the tale); also in extended use. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > fabrication of statement or story > invent, concoct [verb (transitive)] forgec1386 contrivec1400 commentc1450 dissimule1483 devisea1535 invent1535 fable1553 coin1561 to make upc1650 manufacture1700 to tell the tale1717 fabricate1779 concoct1792 fob1805 mythologize1851 fabulate1856 phoney1940 1717 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad III. xii. 86 All Troy must perish,..Nor shall a Trojan live to tell the Tale. 1790 E. Umfreville Present State Hudson's Bay 8 It is..surprizing any should be left alive to tell the tale. 1827 N.-Y. Mirror 7 July 400/2 They'll wonder—not that I have loved—But that I've lived to tell the tale. 1875 C. A. Jones Stories for Christian Year VI. 69 She must have gone down sudden like; there ain't a man left to tell the tale. 1915 E. Wharton Let. 12 Jan. (1988) 346 As she walked through the whole length & breadth of the American ambulance, & survived to tell the tale, I take the rosiest view of her health. 1991 G. Burn Alma Cogan (1992) vi. 112 Tony's dead... Ronnie's still around to tell the tale. 2006 Nuts 11 Aug. 10/2 Can you tell how it's going to end? Will everyone get blown away or will they all live to tell the tale? (b) British colloquial. To tell a false or exaggerated story, esp. in order to evoke a sympathetic response. Now rare or disused. ΚΠ 1905 A. M. Binstead Mop Fair xii. 208 No art known to moderns..which is netting more money for its artificers than the art of ‘telling the tale’. 1928 Daily Express 15 Dec. 7/4 Moneylender at Bow County Court. What did you tell me when you borrowed the money? Debtor: Oh, we all tell the tale when we want money. 1968 ‘J. le Carré’ Small Town in Germany xiii. 204 He couldn't half tell the tale... He could tell you any bloody tale and you believed it. 1979 R. Blythe View in Winter iv. 175 I'm not tellin' the tale. We all went to the war. P2. to tell (the) truth: (used parenthetically) (a) indeed, truly (used to emphasize a statement) (b) to be frank, to be honest (used esp. to preface an admission of something). Similarly truth (also sooth) to tell.See also if (the) truth be told at truth n. and adv. Phrases 3c. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > truthfulness, veracity > [adverb] > as emphasis God (it) wot?c1225 goddot?a1289 sooth to sayc1330 truth (also sooth) to tella1375 honestly1819 honest Indian1854 truthfully1854 honest Injun1857 on the level1872 straight1874 honest1876 square dinkum1888 no kidding1901 straight-up1963 a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 34 Þe couherdes hound..fast þider fulwes, & sone as he it seiȝ, soþe forto telle, he gan to berke on þat barn. a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 160 But trewþe for to telle whan time come of daye [etc.]. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 1598 To telle trowthe, Sche..Were worthi thanne to be blamed. c1475 (c1399) Mum & Sothsegger (Cambr. Ll.4.14) (1936) ii. l. 77 For to telle trouthe..me thynketh That no manere meyntenour shulde..haue lordis leuere þe lawe to apeire. 1553 C. Tye Actes of Apostles (new ed.) viii. sig. G.vi A certayne man, there was whose name Was Simon truth to tell. ?1566 W. P. tr. C. S. Curio Pasquine in Traunce f. 43^v If these newes displeased them, it doth the more please me, for (to tell the truth) they are growen into suche a deadly hatred with me..that [etc.]. 1582 J. Yates Castell of Courtesie f. 49 But sooth to tell, Time with her Time can euery thing bestowe. 1613 F. Beaumont Knight of Burning Pestle iv. i. sig. H2 Lady before I go, I must remember Your fathers Officers, who truth to tell, Haue beene about me very diligent. 1665 R. Head Eng. Rogue I. xiii. 133 Mother Cunny (to tell the truth) was the Nick-name of that Corpulent Matron. 1756 D. Hume Let. 20 Apr. (1932) I. 229 But to tell the truth, we people in the country (for such you Londoners esteem our city) are apt to be troublesome to you people in the town. a1777 S. Foote Maid of Bath (1778) iii. 57 Dost think one could not get her on easier terms than on marriage?..To tell truth, Billy, I have always had that in my head. 1837 Flowers of Fiction 235/1 To tell the truth, you're looking very ill. 1855 H. Rogers Ess. II. vii. 323 Sooth to tell, the narrative of the achievements..draws largely on our faith. 1877 Spirit of Times 24 Nov. 454/3 It is called The Sorcerer, and, truth to tell, it is very wild, even wilder than the farce at the Haymarket. 1903 Lippincott's Monthly Mag. Aug. 230 To tell the truth, Barrett's calm philosophy irritated her not a little. 1946 C. Bush Case Second Chance xv. 209 And, to tell the truth, the more I delved into those dark obscured possibilities of the past, the more I began to feel something of horror. 1971 J. Blume Then again, maybe I Won't (1979) 38 To tell the truth I don't know how I would manage in Rosemont without my ten-speed bike. 1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 331 I am working on banishing the starter from my dinner-partying life. (Truth to tell, I don't have much of a dinner-partying life.) 2005 J. MacGregor Sunday Money i. 29 It was all pretty unspectacular, to tell the truth. P3. a. to tell a person so: to tell a person that which has just been referred to, or is indicated by the context (cf. so adv. and conj. 2a). ΚΠ ?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 405 It is opinly knowe þat a wickid man dooþ yuel, & his owne conscience telliþ him so. ?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 26 I tolde hym so, and ever he seide, nay. 1532 T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere ii. p. cxl Tyndale sayth that saynt Paule chose hym bycause he found in hym more wysdome, sadnes, and vertue, then in the aged men of that place. And Tyndale doeth well to tell vs so. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V iii. vii. 101 I was told so by one that knows him. 1674 C. Cotton tr. B. de Montluc Commentaries vi. 302 Sir, we know very well you have been told so. 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa III. lxiii. 300 You know..that I have an open and free heart, and, naturally, have as open and free a countenance; at least my complimenters have told me so. 1840 Daily Picayune (New Orleans) 18 Sept. 2/2 The persons rightly concluded it was an effort to ‘rope in’, and told Trainer so. 1910 R. Kipling Rewards & Fairies 187 Senecas aren't Hurons, they're Iroquois, of course, and Toby told him so. 1995 W. Marvel in G. W. Gallagher Fredericksburg Campaign 6 Officers seemed to convince themselves that they had seen it coming all along, and as soon as Burnside was safely dead, some came forward to claim that they had told him so. b. I told you so: often used to comment on the fulfilment of a prediction made by the speaker, or to remind the person addressed that he or she has previously been warned that some (typically unfortunate) event or circumstance would ensue, particularly if a given course of action was followed. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > [phrase] > I told you so I told you so1616 1616 B. Jonson Epicœne iv. iv, in Wks. I. 572 I told you so, sir, and you would not beleeue me. View more context for this quotation 1748 S. Richardson Clarissa V. ii. 26 I told you so! whisperingly said I, turning to the women; shaking my head with a face of great concern and pity. 1797 M. Robinson Walsingham IV. lxxxi. 156 ‘Heaven knows, that my heart is incapable of changing.’ ‘I told you so,’ interrupted Lady Arabella, ‘and it was vastly presumptuous in you to dispute my opinion.’ 1831 tr. L. A. F. De Bourrienne Life N. Bonaparte III. xix. 164 Staps..said: ‘Am I not well, Sir?’ Corvisart told the emperor that nothing ailed him. ‘I told you so,’ said Staps. 1875 H. B. Stowe We & our Neighbors xxxv. 331 Would we be willing to have somebody topple headlong into destruction for the sake of being able to say, ‘I told you so’? 1936 M. Plowman Faith called Pacifism 81 Mr. Lloyd George, as the wild cat of the House of David, said: ‘I told you so.’ 2006 Baltimore Sun 20 Aug. f5/3 As mercury builds up in our predator fish and plastic litters the ocean, one can imagine Humboldt hovering in the afterlife, gently muttering, ‘I told you so.’ c. (I) told you so: an utterance of the phrase ‘I told you so’, or an observation equivalent to this; a person given to making such observations; also used attributively to designate a look, manner, etc., with the same meaning or implication as the spoken phrase. Similarly we told you so, etc. ΚΠ 1823 Niles' Weekly Reg. 30 Aug. 406/2 It is a ‘prophecy after the fact’,..the ‘I told you so’ of the old lady, when one of her children called out ‘mother, mother, the hogs are eating the grindstone!’ 1830 A. M. Morgan & H. M. Jones Horatio in Search of Wife iv. 57 Granby raised his eyes to those of Horatio, with an ‘I told you so’ look. 1890 Puck (N.Y.) 24 Dec. 302/2 What can we say..that does not convey, in the light of what we have said aforetime, a strong suggestion of ‘told-you-so’? 1898 Pall Mall Gaz. 9 Mar. 2/2 The journal..assumes its most poker-backed ‘we-told-you-so’ attitude. 1926 P. Whiteman & M. M. McBride Jazz iii. 49 I really did debate whether I hadn't better give up and let the I-told-you-so's, who said jazz would bring me to no good end, have it their own way. 1954 W. Faulkner Fable (1955) 43 His I-told-you-so to the elders. 1962 New Statesman 25 May 768/3 Failure was doubtless foreseen by professional told-you-sos. 1986 ARTnews Nov. 50/1 Self's return to the ICA was a long, loud told-you-so. He proved he can be as nimble as anyone and beholden to none. 1996 R. Drewe Drowner (1998) 56 Angelica tiptoes through this disorder with a queenly, I-told-you-so angle to her eyebrows. 2010 New Yorker 8 Nov. 14/1 Now that he's a success..his many old friends, including me, can share a sweet, told-you-so satisfaction. d. I-told-you-so v. (also told-you-so) intransitive to say ‘I told you so’, or make an observation equivalent to this. ΚΠ 1898 Boston Daily Advertiser 22 Mar. There is a good deal of wholly inappropriate I-told-you-so-ing on the part of our still impenitent free trade friends. 1913 E. A. Baker Miss Mystery vi. 123 The doctor was openly jubilant over her progress, and went about ‘I-told-you-so-ing!’ like an exulting youngster. 1985 Guardian (Nexis) 30 Sept. How they gloated and ‘I-told-you-so'd’ over Working Woman's financial crisis. 2000 R. Robertson Heroes xv. 106 Bayle's mother lectured, cajoled, harangued, hectored, and told-you-so'd, but she didn't cry. P4. to tell all: to tell, disclose, or reveal everything; (in later use often) spec. to disclose the whole truth about a matter or person, typically divulging secret or confidential details (esp. as part of a published account). Cf. tell-all n. and adj. ΘΚΠ society > communication > manifestation > disclosure or revelation > disclose or make revelations [verb (intransitive)] cough1393 wrayc1425 to break a secreta1450 to tell allc1450 to bring (also put) to light1526 to let on1725 to open up1884 to come out of the closet1971 to come out1976 c1450 King Ponthus (Digby) in Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. Amer. (1897) 12 144 (MED) It were long to tell all, so I lete it passe lyghtly. ?1520 tr. Peter of Luxembourg Next Way to Heuen sig. B.j^v Than tell all thy synnes, for yf y^u hyde ony synnes by the counseyle of suche an aduocate thou lesest thy cause in y^e courte of mercy, & yf y^u tell all y^u arte quyte. ?1553 Respublica (1952) v. x. 63 Insol. Madame onlye Avarice made vs all to fall. Avar. yea? Falle to peaching? naie, then will I tell all. 1620 N. Butler Let. 9 Oct. in V. A. Ives Rich Papers: Lett. Bermuda (1984) 185 They..have given out secretly that if they be not payed to their utmost peny of wages, they will goe to the Spanish Embassador, and tell all. 1668 P. B. tr. ‘L. Fountaine’ Relation Country of Jansenia 46 Their Priests take great delight to hear their Penitents repeat their sins several times. After they have put them to the trouble of telling all, they most often deny them Absolution. 1715 C. Bullock Woman's Revenge iii. 59 Dear, Sir, endeavour to save my Life, and I'll tell all? 1790 T. Holcroft German Hotel ii. 22 Promise not to fleer at me any more, or I'll tell all. 1848 Northwood x. 174 Go away—oh! the priest—I'll confess—I'll tell all—Oh! lost, lost, lost! 1879 Washington Post 24 June 1/5 (headline) The lady's watch found on his person, and her jewelry at the pawnbroker's—he makes a clean breast and tells all. 1920 Photoplay Mag. June 103/1 I shall threaten to tell all if you girls don't stop pestering me. And then you would be sorry—because I wouldn't interest you any more. 1971 J. Lofland Analyzing Social Settings vi. 132 We delude ourselves if we expect very many field workers actually to ‘tell all’ in print. 2002 Independent 2 Nov. 3/3 The Princess..had clung to moments of happiness with the man who later told all in a publishing deal and tried to sell her love letters. P5. In various uses with specific personal pronouns. a. With me (also us). (a) In negative constructions, expressing incredulity, impatience, or (with clause as object) dismay; esp. in don't (also never) tell me (also us).you don't mean to tell me: see mean v.¹ 5. ΚΠ 1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Iust Censure & Reproofe sig. D.ij^v Neuer tell me, that he is too graue to trouble himselfe with Martins conceits. a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. i. 1 Neuer tell me, I take it much vnkindly. View more context for this quotation 1675 R. Head Nugæ Venales (ed. 2) 44 Sir, said his man it is early day yet, the clock having but just now struck ten; Pish, sayes he, don't tell me of ten by the clock, when it hath struck Twelve by my stomack. 1729 T. Odell Smugglers i. 19 Both. We..find it can't be afforded. Conscience. Phoo, pox, don't tell me so; I know what your Wine costs ye; a meer Trifle. 1764 S. Foote Patron iii. 67 Not to be spoke with! Don't tell me, Sir; he must, he shall. a1843 R. Haines Richard Plantagenet (?1883) iii. iii. 18 Nay, never tell me; I won't suffer this melancholy. 1861 ‘G. Eliot’ Silas Marner ix. 143 Not come to live in this house? Don't tell me. 1925 C. Archer tr. S. Undset Mistress of Husaby ii. i. 119 Nay, now, never tell me you are to be our King, Erling Vidkunssön! 1944 M. Laski Love on Supertax iv. 52 Who's your latest pick-up?..Not Sir Hubert Porkington! Don't tell me you've actually hooked him! 1961 E. E. Smith & E. E. Evans Masters of Space (2011) 220 Oh, no. Not again?.. Don't tell us it's Terra again, Dark Lady, please. 1973 Farm & Country 10 Apr. 11/4 ‘Don't tell me we've got to go through that again,’ said one executive member in an audible groan. 1989 I. Asimov Nemesis (1990) 94 You're not going to tell me she was a telepath. 2012 S. Townsend Woman who went to Bed for Year iv. 30 Don't tell me you've got religion, Eva. It always ends in tears. (b) colloquial. tell me (also us) another (one): used in response to a statement that is believed to be false or highly improbable, implying that the speaker is telling a lie or a joke. ΚΠ 1891 Sporting Times 7 Feb. Dook:..The place belongs to me. Sass: Belongs to you! Oh, scissors, don't say so! Tell us another, dear, before you go. Dook: I'll take my oath it does. 1911 Munsey's Mag. Dec. 361 ‘That's going some!’ Staff admitted admiringly. ‘Tell me another one.’ 1954 B. Frechtman & J. T. Nile tr. L.-F. Céline Guignol's Band 250 Do you mean to tell me that these people are going to win the war?.. Ah! tell me another! You're joking! 1991 A. Campbell Sidewinder xii. 148 ‘I've always looked on you as a friend—perhaps the only true friend I have.’‘Come off it,’ I snorted. ‘Tell me another one.’ 2008 Pittsburgh Tribune Rev. (Nexis) 25 Dec. It can be difficult to make dinner reservations over the phone... ‘When they hear “Fred Claus”, they say, “Oh sure. Yeah. Tell me another.”’ (c) colloquial (originally U.S.). you're telling me (also us): (expressing hearty agreement) there is no need to tell me; I know that only too well. Cf. tell me about it at Phrases 5a(g). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > know [phrase] don't I know it1839 you're telling me (also us)1921 1921 Amer. Hebrew & Jewish Messenger 4 Feb. 366/2 ‘Rabbi Simon Rosen's son, the most learned scholar in all Minsk!’ ‘You're tellin' me, Mrs. Rosen!’ 1930 Alton (Illinois) Evening Tel. 28 July 4/4 She..remarked..: ‘This is a pretty dull party, isn't it?’ The other guest..looked up at Miss Carroll with infinite ennui and said: ‘You're telling me!’ 1935 Boys' Life May 13/3 ‘I don't think we'll wait down below to watch it till they come!’ ‘You're telling us!’ 1954 Times 16 July 9/4 When he declares that ‘overnutrition has its dangers’..the layman is inclined to reply ‘You're telling me.’ 1977 ‘C. Aird’ Parting Breath xvii. 194 ‘Forensic pathologists don't take chances.’ ‘You're telling me,’ said Crosby with audible scorn. 2006 R. Wilson Hidden Assassins vi. 58 ‘This is no cocktail party.’ ‘You're telling me,’ said Consuelo. (d) colloquial. that's telling me (also us): used in response to a candid, aggressive, or patronizing statement or action; ‘you've made your feelings very clear’, ‘that's put me straight’; ‘that's put me in my place’. Similarly that told me (also us). Also (chiefly British) that's me (also us) told. Cf. that's telling him (also her, etc.) at Phrases 5c. ΚΠ 1935 Sat. Rev. 27 July 929/2 Her motto is: ‘Eagles Don't breed Doves’. As Commander Madden grimly said to me, ‘That's telling us!’ 1937 M. Sims Call it Freedom vii. 108 'Somebody's going to wring your neck one of these days,' she said pleasantly. 'Meaning that you'd like to?' 'No. I need you too badly.' He laughed. 'That's telling me, anyhow.' 1976 M. Jordan Brigham's Way ii. 22 ‘Then we might find there isn't any gold worth bothering about.’ I tipped my hat back. ‘Well that's me told!’ 1984 C. Bedford Waiting for Beatles v. 290 ‘MDs like Derek should realize that the next money to be made is with the new groups, not old has-been prima donnas!’ Well, that told me. 2000 Sunday Herald (Glasgow) (Nexis) 30 Jan. (Seven Days section) 8/2 ‘It's [sc. chewing gum] like an adult dummy... It shows the creeping infantilism of American pop culture...’ That's us told. 2003 C. Poarch Courage under Fire 220 ‘I don't want to make a mistake and lose the best thing that has ever come into my life...’ ‘I guess that's telling me.’ (e) Originally U.S. now he (also she) tells me (also us): (as an ironic rejoinder) expressing frustration, annoyance, regret, etc., at receiving information which, had it been imparted sooner, would have been helpful but is now of little or no use. Also: sometimes implying that the information received is obvious and does not need to be said. Similarly now you tell me. ΚΠ 1947 Safety Dec. 240/2 Chorus: Now he tells me! Now he tells me! People wait until it's much too late. 1966 New Society 12 May 9/2 The idiom of the New Yorker..is..full of translated Yiddishisms (‘I should live so long’, ‘Who needs it?’..and ‘Now he tells me’.) 1976 Medicine Hat (Alberta) News 8 Mar. 12/1 Grafitti high on a wall said, ‘Smoking stops you growing’. Underneath, two feet from the ground, someone had added, ‘So now you tell me’. 1990 USA Today (Nexis) 24 Oct. 3 c ‘The red light goes on so we talk... We're not smarter than anybody else, we're just on TV.’ Oh great. Now, you tell us. 2009 S. James Murphy's Law: Series 1 xxv. 238 ‘Don't eat the buffalo wings though. I think they're bad.’ Chris immediately threw the wing he was gnawing on back on the plate. ‘Great. Now you tell me.’ (f) colloquial. you tell me (also us): used rhetorically to express (shared) inability to answer a complex or awkward question. ΚΠ 1956 W. Armstrong Mutiny Afloat xv. 199 ‘One ruddy quarter of our pay, an' for what reason?..’ ‘You tell us, mate. Your guess is as good as mine.’ 1976 A. K. Ramanujan tr. U. R. A. Murthy Samskara iii. ii. 108 In these times, who can spend two rupees for the bus so often, you tell me. 1982 P. Redmond Brookside (Mersey TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) Episode 3. 17 Garner... So, you don't want to be here. You've already been given a bad time..from that point, where do we go? Lucy... You tell me. 1993 ‘J. le Carré’ Night Manager (1994) xix. 304 Daniel again interrupted: ‘How do you save the world?’ ‘You tell me, old heart,’ said Corkoran. ‘Dying to know.’ 2005 E. Barr Plan B (2006) xxxii. 344 Is it over? You tell me. Is it my baby? She says so, but she would, wouldn't she? (g) colloquial (originally U.S.). tell me about it: (as an ironic rejoinder, esp. expressing rueful agreement or understanding) ‘I'm well aware of that’, ‘I agree’; ‘you don't have to tell me’. ΚΠ 1976 J. Guest Ordinary People iii. 16 ‘It helps,’ Lazenby drawls, ‘if you read the crap when it's assigned... Just a friendly hint.’ ‘Tell me about it,’ Van Buren says. 1986 T. Clancy Red Storm Rising (1987) xxiv. 316 ‘There's just something weird about not having the friggin' sun go down.’ ‘Tell me about it.’ 1990 J. Francome Stone Cold 117 ‘Personally, I'd be happier watching television back in the hotel.’ ‘Hey, tell me about it. Can I give you a lift back there?’ 2002 New Yorker 8 Apr. 97/2 The real-estate agent says to Meg, in the ultimate sales pitch, ‘It's a very emotional property.’ Tell me about it. 2011 D. Kennedy Moment i. 3 ‘The old guy was very stubborn, very proud.’ ‘Tell me about it,’ I said. b. colloquial. With you. (a) (I, I'll, I will) tell you what. (i) Used to introduce (and give some emphasis to) an observation or comment: I will tell you something; I will tell you what is relevant or pertinent. Cf. what pron., adv., int., adj.¹, conj., and n. Phrases 2c. ΚΠ ?1565 A. Hartwell in tr. W. Haddon Sight of Portugall Pearle Pref. sig. A5 As for Diuynitie, I wyll tell you what. it is so handled of .ii. men, in .ii. bookes, within these .ii. yeres, that better it had bene the gospel had neuer peped out. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. i. 51 My lord, Ile tell you what, If my yong Lord your sonne, haue not the day [etc.] . View more context for this quotation 1661 A. Brome Songs & Other Poems 190 But I will tell you what; Either these slaves forswear, and lye, Or if they did so often dye, They've more lives then a cat. 1700 T. Brown Amusements Serious & Comical ix. 137 I'll tell you what; he's the Emptiest, Dullest, Shallowest Monster, within the Bills of Mortality. 1797 Two Cousins 12 I'll tell you what, Sarah, boys will be boys, do what we will, and it is not in their nature to like old people. 1826 Wilhelmina i. i. 6 As for my head's being turned, I tell you what, sir, there's nothing in it. 1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold i. ii. 25 I tell thee what, my child; Thou hast misread this merry dream of thine. 1909 W. R. George Junior Republic (1910) xiv. 304 Every one of them would vote against it and I'll tell you what, in a straight out and out fight, we wouldn't even get a look in with such a bill. 1973 M. Amis Rachel Papers 174 ‘Who was that tart you had round here before?’ ‘Gloria?’ ‘Yeah. Tell you what, she's got a right pair on her.’ 2008 Independent 13 Sept. (Traveller section) 13/5 I got this 1992 Adelsheim—I tell you what, it knocked my socks off. (ii) Used to introduce a suggestion or proposal: I will tell you what is to be done, what we might do, etc. ΚΠ 1732 W. Aston Restauration King Charles II iii. 54 I'll tell you what let us do; let's pull old Oliver out of his Grave, and fix his Head upon Westminster-hall.] 1753 C. Clive Rehearsal ii. 34 Oh, I'll tell you what; let's set Odelove upon her to enquire into the Plot of her Play. 1763 A. Murphy Citizen i. ii. 17 I like you—I like un master Philpot—I like un—I'll tell you what, let un talk to her now. 1825 T. Roscoe tr. F. Sacchetti in Ital. Novelists I. 217 The one said, ‘I will tell you what: let us go on to the next inn, and, perhaps, after a good dinner we shall remember them better.’ 1856 Dwight's Jrnl. Music 19 July 123/1 That beautiful cap... I tell you what, let me have the cap; I will give you four gulden for it. 1875 R. Browning Inn Album i. 13 The happy flash Followed... ‘'Tell you what—Let's turn their flank, try things on t' other side!’ 1915 W. S. Maugham Of Human Bondage xlix. 249 I tell you what, I'll try and come over to Paris again one of these days and I'll look you up. 1967 W. Soyinka Kongi's Harvest i. 39 Tell you what. You get all the leaders of the dissident groups to appear on the dais with me tomorrow. 1996 A. Ghosh Calcutta Chromosome (1997) ix. 57 ‘I'll tell you what, Ant,’ said Murugan... ‘I'll read you all three volumes some day when we're on an around-the-world cruise.’ 2005 D. Cowie Owen Noone & Marauder 15 I tell you what. Since you guys are spending so much today, I'll throw this in free. (b) Originally Irish English. I'm telling you: used to introduce (and give some emphasis to) an observation or comment; also used parenthetically. ΚΠ 1825 Universal Songster I. 255/2 ‘Och! don't be coming here..with your blarney about sending yourself what's not wanted at all,’ says I; ‘so you're out, I'm telling you!’ 1884 Pract. Phonographer May 195/2 It's a pair of canary birds in a gilt cage, and a fine thing all around I'm telling you. 1889 Rocky Mountain News (Denver) 1 July 3/7 I have had occasion to call on ‘my uncle’ in almost every large city in the country..and I'm telling you St. Louis is the hardest place I ever struck. 1903 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 682/1 ‘Corodale not here!’ ‘Not since Saturday was a fortnight, I'm telling you, unless he sunk over the head in the sand-drift at the door,’ said the innkeeper. 1950 E. L. Stewart Men should Weep i. i, in Sc. People's Theatre (Assoc. Scottish Lit. Studies) (2008) 58 If I've got tae cry on ye again, it'll be the worse for ye, I'm tellin ye. 1990 J. Eberts & T. Ilott My Indecision is Final xxiii. 239 Look, I'm telling you I'm really seriously interested. 2008 Total Politics Aug. 8/2 He beams across the table... ‘This guy's been very brave, I'm telling you,’ he says. (c) colloquial. what did I tell you?: used to convey the speaker's belief that his or her earlier assertion or prediction has been proved correct. ΚΠ 1833 J. Neal Down-easters I. v. 57 I'm of your opinion said he..—nothing can be more ridiculous than cutting a woman's throat in her sleep... Ah—ha! what did I tell you? cried the individual whose opinion he had so handsomely adopted. 1898 G. B. Shaw Man of Destiny in Plays: Pleasant & Unpleasant II. 322 Napoleon. There can be no doubt that the man who tricked you out of your charge was..her brother. Lieutenant. What did I tell you, General! What did I tell you! 1915 C. Drew & I. B. Evans Grafter 68 ‘The second horse don't count... He's..liable to turn it up any minute. What did I tell you,’ he cried, as the..horse fell back. 1987 F. Flagg Fried Green Tomatoes 357 That's her, all right. What did I tell you? The poor thing doesn't have a full string of fish. 2003 E. M. Doolittle Silver Lett. vi. 48 Anita shared the news with Aunt Sarah and Uncle Ben who said, ‘What did I tell you, Anita? Always listen to your Uncle Ben.’ c. colloquial. that's telling him (also her, etc.): expressing support for or approval of a forceful statement that someone has made; ‘that's put him or her straight’; ‘that's right’. Similarly you tell him (also her, etc.). Cf. that's telling me (also us) at Phrases 5a(d). ΚΠ 1917 J. T. Foote Dumb-bell of Brookfield iii. 102 Peter took the telegram and read it carefully. He looked up with blazing eyes. 'That's tellin' 'em!' he said. 1941 J. Balch Lamps at High Noon v. 179 ‘If Parano's won't honor us, why we won't honor them.’ ‘That's telling them, friend.’ 1949 M. Lampell Hero vii. 140 ‘On the street I have to stop him from pinching the behinds of women.’ ‘Never mind the women,’ Manuel said, ‘the women do not complain.’ ‘You tell him, baby,’ Joey smiled. 1983 C. Luckham Trafford Tanzi i. in Plays by Women II. 81/2 ‘Girls don't fight, me Mam says so...’ ‘That's it, you tell her, Sue.’ 2004 S. Yocum Price of Admission xliii. 330 ‘Get in the truck, Mitch. My father's life is in danger and I don't plan to sit around here arguing...’ Sally punched the air with her fist. ‘You tell him girl!’ †P6. to tell scorn: to scorn to do something. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > hold in contempt [verb (transitive)] > disdain to do something disdainc1380 to tell scorn1477 contemn1510 to think (it) scornc1515 to take scorn1575 scorn1605 coya1616 1477 J. Pympe in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 417 The fawcon Which is a-lofte tellith scorne to loke a-down. 1529 J. Frith Pistle Christen Reader f. lv Now is he so far from honouringe of these powers, that he will tell skorne to admitte them to kisse his holye feate. 1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. xxix. f. 59^v And yet I thinke, womens hartes would tell scorne to goe before. P7. to tell the clock: (a) to count the hours as shown by a clock; to tell the time; †(b) to pass the time idly (cf. tell-clock n. at tell- comb. form 1) (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > inaction > idleness, lack of occupation or activity > be idle or unoccupied [verb (intransitive)] emptyeOE to tell the clock1527 idle1668 to kick one's heels1703 twirl1777 gammer1788 to twiddle one's thumbs, or fingers1846 to make (also do) kef1852 goof1932 doss1937 to sit on one's hands1939 to bugger about ——1946 to spin one's wheels1960 1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. b.iii^v/2 Than make fyre vnder it that it may droppe treatably as yf you wolde tell the clock [Ger. du zalen bist wie die glock]. 1565 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. (1611) 597 Emperours..sate by the Bishops and held their peace, and told the clocke. ?1623 O. Felltham Resolues 215 Like a condemned man, that knowes the date of his dayes, hee lyes telling the clocke, and counting the houre. 1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. iii. 227 [An] Old Dul Sot; wh'had told the Clock, For many years, at Bridewel-Dock. 1738 tr. S. Guazzo Art of Conversat. 14 They are fit for nothing, unless it be to tell the Clock [1586 count the clock], which they always think goes too slowly. 1752 Masquerade No. 1. 141 The joyful father, the deluded lady, and her blithful bridesmaids, all were ready, they told the clock impatiently, no bridegroom came. 1818 S. Woodworth Poems 166 Patrons, how anxious have you told the clock, Waiting impatient for your carrier's knock! 1899 E. Nesbit Treasure Seekers i. 9 H. O. is eight years old, but he cannot tell the clock yet. Oswald could tell the clock when he was six. 1927 M. McMillan Life R. McMillan 103 She loved every instrument that measures space or time; an instinct that..induced her to teach all the children to tell the clock early. 1939 G. Baldry Rabbit Skin Cap iii. 59 Mother tells me to content myself else she'd soon square me up, and starts to try and teach me to tell the clock. 2018 Eastbourne Herald (Nexis) 22 Oct. What excites me is that you will be able to tell the clock from all four angles. P8. to tell the world. a. To declare to everyone, to anyone who will listen, etc. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > publishing or spreading abroad > publish or spread abroad [verb (intransitive)] to tell the world1555 to blaze one's arms1573 bruit1818 society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (transitive)] > announce openly or assert emphatically to tell the world1555 renunciate1656 the mind > language > statement > refusal > [verb (transitive)] > decline to receive or accept > angrily to tell the world1555 to throw (thrust, fling, (etc.)) (something) in a person's face1597 1555 J. Ponet Apologie 148 Ye wold fynde some way to tell the world, that Oecolampadius, Capito, and Munster were munks or fryars and afterward maried men. a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. iv. 153 Ile tell the world aloud What man thou art. View more context for this quotation 1679 L. Addison Life & Death Mahumed xvi. 84 This Heretique..was not asham'd to tell the World, That all he Preached was sent him immediately from Heaven. 1700 J. Flamsteed Let. 11 Dec. in Corr. (1997) II. 874 He that ownes what he received from another tells the world and will have it acknowledged that he is Just and acts honorably. 1781 W. Cowper Table Talk 38 And tell the world..That he, who died below and reigns above, Inspires the song, and that his name is love. 1830 Monthly Repos. Jan. 35 Captain G. has spoken out. He tells the world he deems it his duty to warn them against Smith. a1871 T. Carlyle in Coll. Lett. T. & J. W. Carlyle (1981) IX. 318 This I cd tell the world, you have not had, for 100 years, any Book that came more direct and flamingly sincere from the heart of a living man. 1956 ‘C. Blackstock’ Dewey Death viii. 169 She persistently told the world about her fiancé, her marriage problems, her piano playing. 1982 New Scientist 9 Sept. 705/1 People who sell electronic equipment for offices have been telling the world about a new kind of computer network. 2010 B. James I am Gold (2011) xxviii. 208 A solitaire [ring]..will tell the world that this is a relationship bound to continue. b. U.S. colloquial. I'll tell (also I'm telling) the world: used (esp. parenthetically) to emphasize the truth of a statement. ΚΠ 1917 in Camion Lett. Amer. College Men (1918) xx. 60 I'm telling the world I'm tired. 1918 Washington Post 10 Feb. 4/7 There's enough rubbish in the middle of the road to keep me from trying to go through there again, I'll tell the world! 1923 G. Emery in A. H. Quinn Contemp. Amer. Plays 252 Gee-z—it's a cold night, I'll tell the world. 1937 S. Gluck Delicate Case of Murder iv. 34 ‘When you pinched us, I'm telling the world we were—’ He stopped with his mouth open. 1998 M. Chamberlain in B. McFarland et al. Line of Cutting Women 10 I heard Gran call out across the house, ‘You tired?’ ‘Tired,’ he said. ‘I'll tell the world.’ P9. Scottish, English regional (northern), and Irish English (northern). to be telling: (with non-referential it, chiefly in conditional clauses) to be worth or as good as (so much) to; to be (so much) to the advantage or credit of (a person). Now rare. ΚΠ 1629 Orkney Witch Trial in County Folk-lore (1903) 3 79 Haid [she] lettin yow abid with your brother it haid bene telling hir xl.£. 1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 213 It were telling your Kin, your Craig was broken. a1732 T. Boston in Memoirs (1776) App. 1 If the gospel meet with no better entertainment after, than for these three years past, it would be telling many of you, that ye had never seen my face, nor I yours. 1822 A. Sutherland Cospatrick of Raymondsholm II. 8 It wad hae been telling some that are now safe frae skaith gin it had never been blither. 1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. at Tellin' It was tellin' him that he did as ye did. 1875 P. Ponder Kirkcumdoon 85 It wud be tellin' the pairish an' himsel' gin Josey gaed less aboot the Wallace Arms. 1889 H. Johnston Chron. Glenbuckie vii. 80 Weel, it's a gey spite I didna take your advice. It would have been telling me a ten-pound note. 1904 M. Bentinck-Smith in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1905) VI. 59/1 [Ulster] It would have been telling you to have been home an hour ago. 1905 S. R. Crockett Sir Toady Crusoe xxv. 194 It would be tellin' him if he told such-like seldomer, and bowed his head a deal more frequent. 1969 Huntly Express 21 Mar. 2 It's tellin' 'im he's young an' swack. 1996 C. I. Macafee Conc. Ulster Dict. 351/1 It's telling you, it will or would be telling you, it is or would be to your advantage. P10. colloquial. tell that to the marines and variants: used to express scornful disbelief. Later also tell that to the horse marines, to my Aunt Fanny, etc. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > belief > disbelief, incredulity > expressing disbelief [phrase] do you mean to say (also to tell me)1763 you don't mean to say (also to tell me)1763 tell that to the marines1806 in a horn1847 you are (or have got to be) joking1907 tie that bull outside or to another ashcan1921 you could have fooled me1926 you wouldn't read about it1950 pull the other one (it's got bells on)1966 1806 J. Davis Post-Captain v. 29 He may tell that to the marines, but the sailors will not believe him. 1820 New Monthly Mag. Dec. 608/1 So also the able-bodied seamen, who think a certain part of their crew mere fruges consumere nati on board a ship, regularly consign all exaggerated narratives and incredible propositions to their ‘willing ears’, according to nostrum illud solenne, ‘You may tell that to the marines.’ 1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet II. xiii. 326 Tell that to the marines—the sailors won't believe it. 1844 Bankers' Mag. Nov. 96 The plain honest trader would..advise you, in secret, to ‘tell that to the Horse Marines’. 1864 A. Trollope Small House at Allington II. xi. 114 Is that a story to tell to such a man as me! You may tell it to the marines! 1890 E. D. E. N. Southworth For Woman's Love xxix. 400 Don't dare to talk such sentimental rubbish to me! You can't love him, can't you? Tell that to an idiot, not to me! 1902 J. Conrad in Blackwood's Mag. Dec. 802/2 ‘You shall get nothing from me, because I have nothing of mine to give away now.’ ‘Tell that to the marines!’ 1912 Commerc. Telegraphers' Jrnl. Mar. 104/2 The opening paragraph..states that his companies were never in better condition... Tell it to Sweeney! 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. xii. [Cyclops] 317 Well! says J. J. We have Edward the peacemaker now.—Tell that to a fool, says the citizen. There's a bloody sight more pox than pax about that boyo. 1928 J. P. McEvoy Show Girl xiii. 193 He..says it doesn't mean anything... You can tell that to my Aunt Fanny I says to him. 1936 Sandusky (Ohio) Reg. 7 Jan. 6/4 ‘My vote is not for sale,’ Schade answered. ‘Go tell that to the birds,’ was the comment of Hart. 1967 D. Francis Blood Sport xiv. 172 ‘When this is over you can sleep for a fortnight.’ ‘Yeah?’ he said sarcastically. ‘Tell it to the marines.’ 1988 N. Gavin Phantom from Past xiii. 66 ‘So why did you leave it then?’ ‘To come and live with Aunt Isobel...’ ‘Oh tell that to your grandmother.’ 2003 P. Lovesey House Sitter (2004) ix. 121 So the official line was that the murders of Emma Tysoe and Axel Summers were unrelated. Tell that to the marines, he thought. P11. Originally U.S. all told: when all are counted; in all, in total. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > the whole or all > that is all or the whole [phrase] > in all or altogether by numbera1375 in numbera1375 in allc1380 first and lastc1390 all wholea1393 in companya1393 in sum1399 full and whole1402 in great1421 whole and somec1425 in (the) whole1432 one with another1436 in (the) hale1437 all in great1533 up and down1562 one and other1569 in (the) aggregate1644 all told1814 1814 Niles' Weekly Reg. 20 Aug. 427/2 Lieut. col. Hartes was in command at Eastport, with about eight hundred, all told. 1833 L. W. Bickley Zoe II. v. 46 ‘How many be they?’ demanded the Emir... ‘They are scarce three hundred, all told,’ replied the gasping soldier. 1855 Sheffield & Rotherham Independent 24 Nov. 11/6 With the crew, officers, and seamen, [they] made the whole number on board about five hundred, all told. 1921 Atlanta Constit. 23 Jan. All told, the Tech floor leader racked up 8 field goals. 1962 T. Parker & R. Allerton Courage of his Convictions iv. i. 154 A one-er for the Guv'nor, and fifty each for me and George here... Two hundred all told. 2000 J. C. Wheeler Cosmic Catastrophes viii. 136 As much as 1 percent of the mass of the Galaxy may be in the form of neutron stars, about one billion of them all told. P12. U.S. regional (originally New England). do tell!: (as an exclamation of surprise) ‘is it possible?’, ‘you don't say so!’. In early use also do pray tell! ΚΠ 1815 D. Humphreys Yankey in Eng. 107 Du pry tel (exclamation probably from) do pray tell. 1823 J. F. Cooper Pioneers II. ix. 125 ‘Do tell!’ exclaimed Remarkable, a little aghast; ‘well, who ever heerd of a young woman's being called Miss?’ 1860 J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (ed. 3) at Do The dairy-maid after hearing the story through, exclaimed, Do tell! 1883 C. F. Wilder Sister Ridnour's Sacrifice 138 ‘Come fur?’ ‘About eighty miles.’..‘Du tell!’ 1919 Rotarian Jan. 25/2 Do tell, says she. Did you do all that? My, wasn't that nice! 1979 C. MacLeod Luck runs Out (1981) i. 17 Do tell. Did she leave any children? 1998 C. Judd Texas Freedom ix. 74 ‘If I didn't tell you this almanac was coming, it's because I didn't know,’ Bush said. ‘I know nothing about it...’ ‘Do tell!’ Dedham exclaimed. ‘So this is as much a surprise to you as to me?’ P13. blood (also breeding, etc.) will tell: used proverbially to suggest that inborn or hereditary characteristics will ultimately reveal themselves or prevail. ΚΠ 1824 John Bull 5 Apr. 5/2 It is very much with men as it is with horses—blood will tell. 1847 Morning Post 20 Apr. 7/6 The enormous weight of this animal substantiates the adage ‘Breeding will tell’, as he possessed the grazing propensity and perfect symmetry of his far-famed sire. 1874 L. D. Whitson Brenda Merton in Gilbert St. Maurice 261 I have always thought..that birth will tell, and that the traits a child develops in early life will cling to them in all coming years. 1909 Pop. Sci. Nov. 461 We shake our heads over the wayward son, remembering that his father ‘sowed his wild oats’, and we observe ‘like father like son’, or ‘blood will tell’. 1975 Ebony Sept. 155/1 Newchurch does not believe that every foal of a star stallion will be a winner but says the odds are very good that breeding will tell. 2005 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 23 July 20 Oliver, born and raised in a workhouse,..not educated, yet sweet and pure and perfectly mannered. Blood will tell, of course, as Victorians liked to believe. P14. to tell the bees: to perform the custom of informing a hive of bees that their owner has died, the traditional belief being that if this is not done the bees will die, leave their hive, or stop producing honey.Outside Britain, the custom has been recorded in Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, and the United States. ΚΠ 1842 C. M. Kirkland Forest Life II. xxxix. 203 If there's any body dies in the house, they'll all go away if you don't take no notice on 'em; but if you go and talk to 'em, and tell 'em that sich a one is dead (calling him by name), and hang a black cloth over the hive, and tell the bees if they'll stay you'll do well by 'em, why they'll stay and go to work peaceable.] 1866 Fraser's Mag. May 649/1 ‘Have ye told the bees?’ she continued; and she went out to perform that important ceremony. 1890 W. N. Guthrie Love Conquereth 136 They told the bees long since, yet you 're Still in this desolate place. 1896 Folk-lore 7 385 A farmer's wife..lost her husband in the summer of 1892, and in her grief and distress forgot to tell the bees. Some time after all the hives but one were found to be deserted. 1935 Brit. Bee Jrnl. 8 Aug. 372/1 A dismal day. Mother busy cutting and measuring black stuff. ‘What's that for, mother?’ I ask. ‘To put on the hives... We've got to “tell” the bees.’ 1949 ‘J. Nelson’ Backwoods Teacher 157 Behind us, a short, bitter voice said, ‘She's tellin' the bees.’ 2002 S. Rosenbaum Honey i. 19 In rural Britain, the custom of ‘telling the bees’ has persisted for centuries. P15. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). to tell a person goodbye: to bid a person farewell. Similarly to tell a person hello, hi, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > use courteous actions or expressions to [verb (transitive)] > bid farewell to beteachc1314 bid farewella1400 teacha1400 to beteach one good dayc1400 to bid (also say) adieu (to)c1425 farewella1586 lenvoy1596 adieu1602 speed1726 to tell a person goodbye1853 sayonara1883 1853 N.Y. Observer & Chron. 7 July 212/1 She took the little boy by the hand to tell him good bye. 1869 A. J. Evans Vashti vii. 89 ‘Did Ulpian tell you good-by?’ ‘No, I have not seen him.’ 1905 B. Tarkington In Arena 253 She told me to tell you good-bye. 1929 L. Hughes Let. 8 May in L. Hughes & C. Van Vechten Remember me to Harlem (2001) 65 Tell Fania Hello for me and both you all enjoy yo' selves to de utt'most. 1979 L. Meynell Hooky & Villainous Chauffeur viii. 111 Mr Furlong asked me to tell you goodbye. 1988 J. Ellroy Big Nowhere ix. 90 Tell Lucy hi for me. 2011 C. Cassidy Cowboy's Triplet Trouble x. 175 The triplets had been fed, the car had been loaded and there was nothing left to do except tell her goodbye. P16. colloquial (originally U.S.). to tell it like it is: to give a full and truthful account of a matter irrespective of how unwelcome or unpalatable this may be; to be unsparingly candid or frank.Earliest in African-American usage. ΚΠ 1899 Iowa State Bystander 9 June I must give the colored people of Des Moines..the right understanding about the Jim crow car. Of course some one will differ with me, but I must tell it like it is even if it is in the south. 1905 Lockhart (Texas) Weekly Post 3 Aug. Let the farmer tell it like it is,..and instead of shrewd manipulators making the size of the crop, the people of the South, the farmer and merchant..will give to the world an honest estimate. 1943 W. Guthrie Bound for Glory xiii. 265 You'll get a feed..if you're honest, willing to work for it, and ain't afraid to tell it just like it is. 1965 New Statesman 1 Oct. 473/1 Although sometimes tardy, all his speeches make their intended points; as they say in Harlem, he tells it like it is. 1971 Financial Times 11 Nov. 17/3 If you are thinking of starting your own agency three people who can tell it like it is (and was) are Ronnie Kirkwood, Martin Boase and Richard French. 2003 Out Feb. 12/1 It was the first time I saw a smart, funny, ‘out there’ queer girl telling it like it is. P17. colloquial. (I) tell (also am telling) a lie: I am mistaken (esp. as an introduction to a corrected restatement of what has just been said). Cf. I'm a liar at liar n. a. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lack of truth, falsity > mistake [phrase] > by myself (I) tell (also am telling) a lie1910 I'm a liar1940 1910 Eng. Rev. Mar. 631 The news was brought to me ten minutes..no, I tell a lie!..twelve minutes and a half ago. 1925 S. O'Casey Shadow of Gunman ii, in Two Plays 172 Adolphus..after takin' his tea at six o'clock—no, I'm tellin' a lie—it was before six, for I remember the Angelus was ringin' out. 1968 L. Deighton Only when I Larf vii. 89 Six Centurion Mark Fives on that hillock... No tell a lie, one of them is a Mark Two. 1985 B. Unsworth Stone Virgin 141 It is broken... No, as you were, I tell a lie, it's fractured. 2007 A. P. Meade Ghost of Chance xv. 134 ‘Did he mention why he needed to be at the fair?’ ‘No, I don't think—oh wait, I tell a lie. Yes, he did.’ P18. colloquial. In various phrases expressing contemptuous dismissal or emphatic rejection.In each case apparently originating in euphemistic avoidance of a more emphatic or explicit expression. a. to tell (a person) where to go.Originally with implied reference to ‘to tell a person to go to hell’ or similar. ΚΠ 1918 Daily Twin Falls (Idaho) Times 18 July 2/2 The farmer..told them ‘where to go’ for their wages. The men left, unpaid. 1946 K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) ii. 37 For two pins I'd tell him where to go. 1992 Independent 20 Jan. 13/4 Nowadays if you said to a child, ‘You're being a bit noisy with that knife and fork,’ they'd tell you where to go. 2005 FHM Jan. 104/1 I've been asked back by quite a few footballers. I've told them where to go. b. to tell (a person) what to do with (something); similarly to tell (a person) where to put (something), etc.Originally as an alternative to ‘to tell a person to stick it up his arse’ or similar. ΚΠ 1937 D. Fuchs Low Company ii. 108 Listen, I could tell you what you can do with your boy friend, only I'm a gentleman for the moment. 1946 M. Shulman Zebra Derby (1947) xxi. 133 Green, an upholsterer, said that he was through with upholstering and had told his old boss what to do with his old job. 1958 M. Dickens Man Overboard xii. 176 He had been going to tell Glenn what he could do with his job. 1968 M. Bragg Without City Wall ii. xxi. 207 You could tell the people at the hall what to do with that job of theirs. She'd had enough of being a servant. 1977 Listener 14 Apr. 483/2 Protestations that if the government did any such thing, the BBC would probably tell it where to stuff such an instruction. 2007 Esquire Nov. 132/3 If a restaurant tells you that they will need the table back at a certain time, tell them where to stick it. This evil trend needs to be quashed. P19. tell it not in Gath: see Gath n. to tell (someone) where he or she gets off: see to get off 6b at get v. Phrasal verbs 1. to tell (a person) his (her, etc.) own: see own pron. 5. to tell a story: see story n. 3e. Phrasal verbs PV1. With adverbs in specialized senses. to tell apart transitive. To distinguish (two or more things) from one another. ΚΠ 1792 J. Luffman Passions & their Effects 131 He had one [sc. a flute] at home which was so very similar to that he now saw, that it would be difficult to tell them apart. 1845 C. M. Kirkland Western Clearings 112 You know we are so much alike that strangers never can tell us apart. 1862 C. L. Balch Pract. Lat. Gram. iii. 6 There are five declensions... We tell them apart by the ending of the genitive singular. 1908 N. L. Britton N. Amer. Trees 805 It has been supposed that the so-called Red ash and Green ash could be told apart by the velvety twigs of the former and the smooth ones of the latter. 1925 A. Loos Gentlemen prefer Blondes iv. 111 How are we going to tell you gentlemen apart? 1982 B. Chatwin On Black Hill i. 10 As boys, only their mother could tell them apart. 2013 Daily Tel. 25 Apr. 23/4 Telling birds apart from the noise they make isn't always straightforward. to tell down transitive. To put down (money) as payment. Now rare.In quot. 1637 figurative. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > payment > pay money or things [verb (transitive)] > lay down money to lay down1560 lay1572 to tell down1600 consign1633 deposita1640 post1821 1600 R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (new ed.) III. 707 If I would haue solde all my cloth for ready money tolde downe for foure hundred and fifty and fiue hundred reyes, the merchants would haue bought it all of me. 1637 J. Shirley Gamester iv. ii Let her tell down Her virgin tears on Delamore's cold marble. 1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 34 Should any buy a field of land, and refuse to tell down the money. 1765 G. Colman tr. Terence Brothers iii. iv, in tr. Terence Comedies 361 He told the money down Immediately. 1830 W. Scott Ivanhoe (new ed.) II. x. 171 Tell down with all speed an hundred crowns. 1868 A. E. Senter Diddler 77 Fielding..added, if he would give him ten guineas, he would put him in a way of frustrating his son's hopes... Boaz instantly told down ten guineas. 1916 B. M. Dix Blithe McBride iii. 16 Could not his worship tell down fifteen shillings, and win a blessing? to tell off 1. a. transitive. Originally Military. Originally: to number off the soldiers of (a platoon, squadron, etc.); to divide up (soldiers) by this means. Later: to assign (a member or members of a larger group, originally a body of soldiers) to a particular task, duty, objective, position, or the like; to depute, detach, detail; (sometimes more generally) to allocate; to divide up. In later use frequently with to. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count people tell1511 muster1565 poll1649 to tell off1727 census1881 the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > types of choice > choose in specific way [verb (transitive)] > select from a number or for a purpose markOE to choose out1297 out-trya1325 cullc1330 welec1330 try1340 walea1350 coil1399 drawa1400 to mark outa1450 electa1513 sorta1535 prick1536 exempta1538 select1567 sort1597 to gather out1611 single1629 delibate1660 to cut out1667 outlooka1687 draught1714 draft1724 to tell off1727 the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > separate by counting tellOE tale1631 to tell off1827 to count out1865 1727 H. Bland Treat. Mil. Discipline vi. 66 As soon as the Platoons are told off, there must be an Officer appointed to each, to Command them. 1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 2 Each Squadron is to be told off—by Half squadrons. Four divisions. Eight sub-divisions. 1804 J. Whitehouse Jrnl. 3 Nov. in Jrnls. Lewis & Clark Exped. (1997) XI. 108 The Captn. formd. his men On the S.W. Side of the river Missourie and told them off in Sections, from the right. 1827 W. Scott Jrnl. 29 Jan. (1941) 15 How could the castes be distinguished or told off in a populous nation? 1837 F. Marryat Snarleyyow III. xv. 229 The troops were told off into the boats. 1872 Punch 21 Sept. 116/1 Let an intelligent policeman be told off to mount guard. 1909 Manch. Guardian 16 Apr. 14/4 Six Arabs are told off whose special duty it is to feed and water the birds twice every day. 1936 Wonderful S. Afr. 381 At intervals rest-camps are provided with rough comforts and means of protection, apart from the armed guard which is told off to act as guides. 1991 Ships Monthly Apr. 16/1 The ‘Black Gang’, all Scots except for one Irishman and me and Alf, then mustered in the engine-room and were told off into watches. 2001 E. Kerner Lesser Kindred v. 107 Varien and I were told off to see what we could find in the way of small game. b. intransitive. Military. Of a group of soldiers: to number off; to divide into groups on the basis of such numbering. Now rare. ΚΠ 1757 New Regulations Prussian Infantry ii. i. 28 While the Battalion is telling off and sizing, the Major appoints the Officers and non-commissioned Officers to their respective Posts. 1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry i. ii. 86 The men are to be instructed to tell off by files and by threes. 1887 Times of India 29 Oct. The men mounted and formed up behind him, telling off in a whisper. 1951 F. H. Maitland Hussar of Line iii. 42 From the right tell off by sections! 2. transitive. To count off; to mark off in sequence. ΚΠ 1742 T. Clarke Compl. & Compend. Treat. Arithm. 4 Begin at the Right-hand, and tell off two Threes or six Places. 1790 Trans. Royal Soc. Edinb. 2 ii. ii. 62 We can tell off the beats, not only by pairs, but also by parcels of three, four and other numbers. 1857 Harper's Weekly 10 Jan. 20 The large clock..that seems to ‘tell off’, as with a pendulum tally, the entrances and the exits. 1879 Wesleyan Missionary Notices Dec. 287/2 One man..gave nine pounds for himself and family, naming each person and telling off each pound on the tips of his fingers. 1989 M. Dibdin Tryst viii. 93 The church clock told off the hours one after the other. 1999 R. Kaplan Nothing that Is viii. 85 Telling off the seconds, the cracks in the sidewalk, the patternless holes in the dentist's ceiling tiles. †3. transitive. To utter, say over, recount; = sense 8a. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > drill or training > drill [verb (intransitive)] > number in succession to tell off1837 1837 C. Lofft Self-formation I. ii. 67 I told off the tale as glibly and circumstantially as though I had read it from a printed book. 1841 A. Helps Self-discipline in Ess. (1875) 21 To think that a man can find nothing better to do, in the presence of his Creator, than telling off so many words! 1892 Roanoke (Va.) Times 22 Nov. 2/3 Little did we girls think, as we glibly told off the story of that battle and the queen's gift to the conqueror, that [etc.]. †4. transitive. Military. To administer justice to (a soldier charged with an offence). Obsolete.Originally a spec. use of sense 1a. ΚΠ 1876 London Society May 447/2 The business of ‘telling off prisoners’ proceeded. 1880 R. M. Jephson Roll of Drum 218 The duty of telling off the culprits was at once proceeded with. Prisoner after prisoner was marched in.., his crime read out to him, evidence heard on both sides, and sentence pronounced. 1889 Jrnl. Royal United Service Inst. 33 315 In all ordinary cases of military crime the circumstances are such that there is usually no difficulty whatever in at once ‘telling off’ a prisoner. 5. transitive. To reprimand, rebuke, scold. Cf. telling-off n. 2, and also tick v.¹ 3c. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disapproval > rebuke or reproof > rebuke or reprove [verb (transitive)] threac897 threapc897 begripea1000 threata1000 castea1200 chaste?c1225 takec1275 blame1297 chastya1300 sniba1300 withnima1315 undernima1325 rebukec1330 snuba1340 withtakea1340 reprovec1350 chastisea1375 arate1377 challenge1377 undertake1377 reprehenda1382 repreync1390 runta1398 snapea1400 underfoc1400 to call to account1434 to put downc1440 snebc1440 uptakec1440 correptc1449 reformc1450 reprise?c1450 to tell (a person) his (also her, etc.) own1450 control1451 redarguec1475 berisp1481 to hit (cross) one over (of, on) the thumbs1522 checkc1530 admonish1541 nip1548 twig?1550 impreve1552 lesson1555 to take down1562 to haul (a person) over the coals1565 increpate1570 touch1570 school1573 to gather up1577 task1580 redarguate?1590 expostulate1592 tutor1599 sauce1601 snip1601 sneap1611 to take in tax1635 to sharp up1647 round1653 threapen1671 reprimand1681 to take to task1682 document1690 chapter1693 repulse1746 twink1747 to speak to ——1753 haul1795 to pull up1799 carpet1840 rig1841 to talk to1860 to take (a person) to the woodshed1882 rawhide1895 to tell off1897 to tell (someone) where he or she gets off1900 to get on ——1904 to put (a person) in (also into) his, her place1908 strafe1915 tick1915 woodshed1935 to slap (a person) down1938 sort1941 bind1942 bottle1946 mat1948 ream1950 zap1961 elder1967 1897 Manch. Guardian 17 July 7/6 This girl's mother..has told me off even more than you did, but I stood it all. 1915 Munsey's Mag. June 206/1 When the woman..played without the slightest regard to the rules of the game, she had to be told off properly. 1933 Scotsman 12 Aug. 13/2 That famous declaration of Scots independence..in which the Holy Father is ‘told off’ for favouring the English against the Scots. 1974 M. Birmingham You can help Me iv. 97 She's..telling off the police good and proper... She blames them for all the dirt. 2005 Mizz 30 Nov. 70/1 Alf can usually be found telling off the younger residents of the Bay for not calling him ‘Mr Stewart’. to tell on intransitive. To continue speaking. Usually in imperative; cf. to say on 1 at say v.¹ and int. Phrasal verbs. Now archaic and rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > speech > speak [verb (intransitive)] > to begin to speak again or resume speaking take1477 to tell on1535 respeak1621 continue1711 reassume1719 resume1801 1535 D. Lindsay Satyre 2154 Tell on. Ar ȝe content? 1600 E. Fairfax tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Bulloigne ii. 23 Tell on, quoth he, vnfold the chance aright,Thy peoples liues I grant for recompence. 1624 Trag. Nero i. sig. B3^v Why doe I stand relating of the storie..? Tell on, and end the tale, you whom it pleaseth; Mee mine owne sorrow stops from further speaking. 1745 tr. A. C. P. de Caylus Oriental Tales I. 106 Tell on, thou knowest I only want to sleep. 1885 T. W. Halliday tr. T. Campanella City of Sun in Ideal Commonwealths 219 Tell on, I pray you! Tell on! I am dying to hear more. 1992 W. A. Myers Shrink Dreams v. 111 ‘When I tell you about Laura..you'll realize the gravity of her situation,’ he said. ‘Tell on,’ I said lightly. to tell out 1. transitive. To count out (money, items in a sequence, etc.); to pay out (money) in this way. In early use also: †to separate out by counting (obsolete). Now somewhat archaic. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate from main body skillc1175 to tell outc1325 shillc1440 sequestrate1513 sorta1535 shoal1571 segregate1579 dismember1580 single1582 scatter1588 disgregate1593 recond1608 sepone1619 sequester1625 canton1653 to cantonize outa1670 portion1777 to set off1795 to comb out1854 distinguish1866 split1924 hive off1931 section1960 separate1962 the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)] > except to take outc1175 out-takec1390 outnima1400 excludec1400 outcepta1470 reserve1523 except1530 exempt1548 to put by1594 abate1598 exemea1600 bate1619 rescinda1687 to tell out1812 to tell out of ——1812 exception1845 c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 6713 (MED) He..tolde of hom þe teþe out & þe nine slou. 1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. cxviii. sig. DD^v/2 He..sayde. Syrs, holde tell your money, here is all that we owe you. So they tolde out xxii. hundred frankes. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Chron. ii. 2 Salomon..tolde out thre score and ten thousande men to beare burthens. 1612 B. Jonson Alchemist v. v. sig. M4 Were not the Pounds told out..vpon the table dormant. View more context for this quotation 1657 Wright's Certain Errors Navigation (new ed.) vi. 42 In this line, beginning from the angle at C, tell out the said number of equal parts 1368. 1739 Joe Miller's Jests No. 200 The money'd Man fell to telling out the Sum in Shillings. 1749 S. Lowe Arithm. in Two Parts Pref. p. xii Counters..which a child will tell-out with pleasure, according to the several dispositions of them. 1771 R. Cumberland Timon of Athens iii. ii. 24 Flaminius, you were sent To Lord Lucullus; come, tell out the talents. 1834 Dublin Penny Jrnl. 3 88/2 The boccaugh produced a long checquer bag, and told out, in the presence of the landlord, an equal sum, which he handed to the young man. 1893 Contemp. Pulpit 9 83 You do not read history as you would tell out the counters in a game, not caring a bit so long as you piled them up. 1911 Pearson's Mag. Feb. 237/1 [He] told out ten sovereigns into the ready palm of the weeping Ermyntrude. 1955 E. Schroeder Muhammad's People 405 When the coin had been brought, and was being told out, Rija came back into the tent. 2. transitive. To proclaim; to declare or announce publicly. In later use chiefly with reference to the promulgation of Christian teachings. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > announcing or proclaiming > announce or proclaim [verb (transitive)] kithec725 i-bedea800 abedeeOE bid971 deemOE bodea1000 tellOE clepec1275 to tell outa1382 denouncec1384 publishc1384 descryc1390 pronouncec1390 proclaima1393 sound1412 proclaim?a1425 renouncea1425 announcec1429 preconize?1440 announce1483 reclaim?1503 call1523 to speak forth1526 annunciate1533 protest1533 to breathe out1535 denouncec1540 enact1611 deblazon1621 deblaze1640 advise1647 apostolize1652 indigitatea1670 enounce1807 voice1850 norate1851 enunciate1864 post1961 a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1969) Isa. lviii. 1 Tel out [L. adnuntia] to my puple þe hidous giltis of hem. c1425 (c1400) Prymer (Cambr.) (1895) 3 (MED) Heuenes tellen out þe glorie of god. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xcv[i]. 10 Tell it out amonge the Heithen, that the Lorde is kynge. 1615 T. Dekker Cold Yeare sig. C^v I prayde my black-facde Gentleman to tell the Newes out. 1682 J. Banks Vertue Betray'd ii. 25 Oh tell it out with joy! Tell it aloud with shouting to the Spheres. 1719 Compl. Coll. State-tryals III. 349/2 Villany was the Foundation of it, and Knavery the Superstructure; and it is high time it should be told out. 1860 Gospel Standard 1 Dec. 364 The Son of God is preached unto sinners, preached—proclaimed—told out. 1920 Homiletic Rev. Sept. 248/2 We should tell out the things that will be for the blessing of other people. There is the gospel, for instance. 2013 M. W. Scott in M. Tomlinson & D. McDougall Christian Politics in Oceania ii. 63 They will bring the final persecution. Therefore we have to tell out the good news quickly. †3. transitive. slang. To declare out of contention, originally in a cockfight, by counting; to count out; (later also) to put out of contention. In passive: to be too exhausted, confused, etc., to continue, esp. to continue fighting; (more generally) to be utterly exhausted. Cf. told out at told adj. 2. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1805 Sporting Mag. Nov. 62/2 The Lincolnshire cock.., before it was possible for the knowing ones to tell him out, received..new vigour from his mother earth, and..sprung again to the charge. 1806 Morning Post 9 July Iky Pig, to use the technical phrase, is now told out, as this contest..has proved him unworthy the honour of becoming a bruiser. 1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 176 Told-out, in the language of the cock-pit; when a cock has refused fighting ten several times, counting ten deliberately between each set-to and refusal, he loseth the battle... So, when a gambler is unblunted, he is said to be told out; and so is the debauchee when he can't come again. 1825 Morning Chron. 10 Aug. This race was prettily begun, but Plumper was soon told out, and Lottery won..by two or three lengths. 1860 Bell's Life in London 15 Apr. 4/6 The weight in the ascent from the new Stand also ‘told out’ the St Leger winner, Newcastle, and the French mare, Mdlle de Chantilly. to tell over 1. transitive. To count, enumerate; to count up; = senses 17, 18a. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > enumerate, reckon, or calculate [verb (intransitive)] > count accountc1450 recounta1549 to tell over1579 count1865 the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > number, calculate, or reckon [verb (transitive)] > count valuable items tellOE to tell over1579 society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > keep accounts [verb (transitive)] > reckon up tellOE tail1377 foot1491 tailye1497 to tell over1579 total1716 tot1770 1579 G. Gilpin tr. P. van Marnix van Sant Aldegonde Bee Hiue of Romishe Church iv. i. f. 232 Shee hath set vp so manie [altars], that they are not all to be told ouer in seuentie yeres [Du. dat mense binnen tseuentich Jaren niet en soude al connen getellen]. 1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. B2^v Hee shut himselfe into his studdy, and fell to tell ouer his mony. 1625 in tr. Jocelin Life Glorious Bishop S. Patricke 131 Being tould ouer twice or thrice, the flocke was found entire, and complete, not one being missing. 1653 A. Marvell Let. 28 July in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 304 Those who weigh and tell ouer mony. 1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 254 He numbred them, by laying so many Stones on a Row, and pointing to me to tell them over. 1775 J. Harris Philos. Arrangem. iv. 82 Lord Verulam tells us of Proteus, that he had his Herd of Seals, or Sea-Calves; that these 'twas his Custom every day to tell over. 1838 Amer. Monthly Mag. July 358 The teller at the bank counter, who, with his hands full of bank notes, tells them over daily without any ‘realizing sense’ of their value. 1883 Myst. Mod. London 81/1 She found time to tell over the money she had accumulated. 1925 C. Read Mr. Secretary Walsingham II. ix. 253 As soon as Elizabeth discovered that James was really eager for the league she began to tell over her pennies. 1935 P. Mégroz tr. E. Fleg Jesus xxvii. 263 His fingers told over the coins in his scrip. 2. transitive. To tell again, to retell; (also) to tell in full. ΚΠ a1595 R. Southwell Humble Supplication (1600) 52 So much, as may serue them to tell ouer the Articles of their Creede. 1612 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don-Quixote: Pt. 1 iv. xv. 495 Although wee had spent the time from hence till to morrow in listning to it, yet should we be glad to heare it told ouer once againe. a1653 H. Binning Wks. (1735) xvi. 608/1 You use to tell over some Words in your Prayers. 1711 Atlas Geographus I. xi. 172/2 He who is to swear takes a Sword, and tells over the Names of his Wives, Children and Friends. 1774 J. Patsall in tr. Quintilian Inst. Orator II. xi. 316 As it is necessary to give a full sound to words, so to tell over, as it were, and reckon every letter, must be very troublesome and disagreeable. 1821 W. Scott Kenilworth II. iv. 94 Thou art..a tattling knave to tell over again his fooleries. 1883 M. Oliphant Hester I. ix. 136 We old fogeys have our little talks together, and tell over our old adventures to amuse ourselves for want of something better. 1911 A. C. Ray Woman with Purpose xvi. 178 She..listened in silence to Dorcas, eagerly telling over the story of her good old times with Dickie. 1992 L. Glinert Joys of Hebrew 65 Torah is learned with a view to ‘telling it over’, to acquaintances, to parents, to children. to tell up intransitive. To amount to. Later also without construction: to mount up, to accumulate. Now rare. ΚΠ 1825 E. Hewlett Cottage Comforts vi. 45 Put it in the savings' bank, and it will tell up to something. 1862 J. T. Bourne Let. 5 May in F. Vandiver Confed. Blockade Running Bermuda (1947) 16 The very high freight..and other incidental expenses has made it tell up considerably over the low rate heretofore charged. 1903 Bankers' Mag. Feb. 197 A fractional economy would result, which in the aggregate would tell up to a large sum. 1914 Sketch 22 July 96/1 The settlement with the men cost about a fifth of a penny per mile, and soon they 'll have to pay something like three-eighths of a penny for road-upkeep. It soon tells up, you know. PV2. With prepositions in specialized senses.† to tell out of —— Obsolete. transitive. Boxing slang. To bar or exclude from.Apparently with pun on to tell out 3 at Phrasal verbs 1. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being exclusive > exclude [verb (transitive)] > except to take outc1175 out-takec1390 outnima1400 excludec1400 outcepta1470 reserve1523 except1530 exempt1548 to put by1594 abate1598 exemea1600 bate1619 rescinda1687 to tell out1812 to tell out of ——1812 exception1845 1812 Sporting Mag. 39 138 Burn..had been long told out of the London list as a cur. ?1824 P. Egan Boxiana III. 311 Burns, although defeated, has no right to be told out of the ring. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022). > see also also refers to : tell-comb. form < n.¹1743n.²1840v.eOE see also
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telln.1

telln.2

tellv.

Phrases

Phrasal verbs

> see also

telln.¹

telln.²