She insisted on telling me her whole life story.telling1 adjectivetelling2 noun
tellingtell‧ing1 /ˈtelɪŋ/ adjective 
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- The case will have a telling impact on the automotive industry.
- Barnes, moving wide to the left, at last got over a telling cross but Ferdinand completely missed the ball in front of goal.
- The most telling exchanges came between Sir Lewis and his long-time sparring partner, shareholder James Middlemass.
- The tomb stands today as a telling memorial to the period.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES She insisted on telling me her whole life story. Was he telling porkies again?COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
She insisted on telling me her whole life story. Was he telling porkies again?· Even more telling is the example of Ralph Snaith, the bailiff of Pontefract.· There is a more telling comparison.· The effect will be all the more telling.· The cadence of the prose in the short version often emphasises meaning with a more telling precision than in the long version.· And even more telling, the slow, sad exodus of young traders who find they no longer have a job.· The contrasts between the two men are far more telling.· In the next chapter, I move on to a more interesting, more telling and more fruitful critique of inductivism.· Mr. Mellor My hon. Friend is absolutely right, but the international comparisons are even more telling.
· The remarkable growth of the Lord Chancellor's chambers into a major department of State has been the most telling event yet.· The most telling indicator of Railfreight's success in the 1980s was the unprecedented turnround in its financial performance.· Perhaps the most telling measure of performance comes from a straight comparison with the R25 V6.· This is your theme, your most telling argument, recommendation or proposal.· The most telling exchanges came between Sir Lewis and his long-time sparring partner, shareholder James Middlemass.· In a fight between men who are past their prime, the most telling factor surely must be motivation.· The greatest, and definitely the most telling damage would be done by nuclear armaments.· This is the most telling way in which the loss of community may be brought poignantly home to the farm worker.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► I don’t mind admitting/telling you/saying etc
1having a great or important effect SYN significant: - It probably loses something in the translation from the original Latin.
a telling argument2showing the true character or nature of someone or something, often without being intended SYN revealingtelling comment/example/detail etc—tellingly adverbtelling1 adjectivetelling2 noun
tellingtelling2 noun Longman Language Activatorways of saying that no one knows something
· Maybe the world will end tomorrow. Who can say?· He might come back and say he still loves me, who knows? Who cares?who knows/who can say what/where/why etc · Who knows whether Mimi ever made it to Paris.
spoken say this when you mean that it is impossible to know something: · "Where'd she go?" "God knows."God knows/heaven knows what/who/why etc: · I've just missed my train, so God knows what time I'll get home now.· Heaven knows why she feels she can't trust her own parents.
spoken say this when neither you, nor anyone else knows the answer to a question or the truth about something, and any answer could be correct: · How he'd lived through it all is anybody's guess.it's anybody's guess who/what/why etc: · It's anybody's guess who will come out on top when the winners are announced at the Grammy Awards this year.
spoken say this when it is impossible to know what will happen, especially when you are worried that something bad might happen: there's no telling/knowing who/what/why etc: · "He's a desperate man. There's no telling what he'll do next," said Holmes.· There was no knowing when the flood waters might recede with so much rain in the forecast.
spoken say this when someone asks you a question and you do not know the answer, so that they are just as likely to guess the right answer as you are: · "Who do you think will win the World Cup?" "Your guess is as good as mine."
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES She insisted on telling me her whole life story. Was he telling porkies again?
She insisted on telling me her whole life story. Was he telling porkies again?PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► I don’t mind admitting/telling you/saying etc
1[countable, uncountable] when you tell a story: - This is a highly dangerous trend, because there is no telling where it will end.
- It probably loses something in the translation from the original Latin.
The story gets better with each telling.2there is no telling used to say that there is no way to know what will happen in a certain situation: There’s no telling who is going to show up tonight.