tell

can't tell your arse from your elbow (very informal!, very informal!)

if you can't tell your arse from your elbow, you are stupid and become confused about simple things. It's no good asking him to organize anything - he can't tell his arse from his elbow.

See also: arse, can't, elbow, from

Dead men tell no tales.

something that you say which means people who are dead cannot tell secrets. I suspect they killed him because he knew too much. Dead men tell no tales.

See also: dead, men, tales

kiss and tell

to talk on television, in a newspaper etc. about a sexual relationship you have had with a famous person, especially in order to get a lot of money. The singer's ex-girlfriend was paid £20,000 by a tabloid newspaper to kiss and tell.

See also: kiss

kiss-and-tell

kiss and tell - to talk on television, in a newspaper etc. about a sexual relationship you have had with a famous person, especially in order to get a lot of money. Her kiss-and-tell revelations scandalized Hollywood. (always before noun)

live to tell the tale

to still be alive after a dangerous or frightening experience. I should imagine very few people have fallen from that height and lived to tell the tale. I had dinner with her and lived to tell the tale.

See also: live, tale

[show/teach/tell etc.] someone a thing or two

know a thing or two - to have a lot of practical skills and knowledge learnt through experience. Julie - now she could teach you a thing or two about dealing with men. (usually + about)

See also: show, teach, thing, two

tell it like it is

to describe a situation honestly, not avoiding any of the unpleasant details. There's no point pretending to young women that having a baby doesn't hurt. You've got to tell it like it is. She's a straight talker, is Karen. She tells it like it is.

See also: like

(Go) tell it/that to the marines. (American)

something that you say in order to tell someone that you do not believe what they have just said. You were here all day? Sure, you were - tell it to the marines.

See also: that

tell its own tale (British & Australian)

if something tells its own tale, it shows the truth about a situation. She may smile in public, but the expression in her eyes tells its own tale.

See also: tale

Tell me about it! (informal)

something that you say in order to show sympathy to someone who has the same problem or bad experience as you. 'I've got so much work to do.' 'Tell me about it!'

See also: about

Tell me another (one)! (informal)

something that you say when you do not believe what someone has just said. 'I never drive over the speed limit.' 'Oh, yeah? Tell me another one.'

See also: another

tell tales

to tell someone in authority about something bad that someone has done because you want to cause trouble for them. She wasn't very popular at school - she was the sort of kid who was always telling tales about other kids. (often + about) I had half a mind to tell my boss about him but I didn't want her to think I was telling tales.

See also: tales

tell someone where to get off (informal)

to angrily refuse to do what someone wants you to do, usually using direct or rude language. She wanted to borrow money again so I told her where to get off.

a tell-tale

tell tales - to tell someone in authority about something bad that someone has done because you want to cause trouble for them. Bullying often goes unreported because children don't want to be seen as tell-tales.

Time will tell.

something that you say which means that the result of something will be clear after a period of time. I don't know if this marriage will work, but time will tell. Only time will tell if the business will be successful.

See also: time

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I tell you

this is what I think. Well, I tell you, if you worked on the pier, you'd see how much junk there is floating on the water. It's important to have health insurance, but I'll tell you, I don't mind having dental insurance, too.

Usage notes: used to emphasize what you are about to say

kiss and tell

to publicly discuss private information about someone you know well. She doesn't kiss and tell, not even in her new memoir.

Usage notes: often said about published information about someone famous

See also: kiss

tell (someone/something) apart

to be able to see the difference between one person or thing and another. One guy's a Democrat and the other's a Republican, but it wasn't always easy to tell them apart. The twins are no longer as hard to tell apart as when they were little babies. She held out two flowers, but I couldn't tell which was which.

See also: apart

tell it like it is

to describe a situation honestly without avoiding any unpleasant details. I am honest about things, and I'm going to tell it like it is as long as I am in charge of this project.

See also: like

tell me about it

I have had the same experience. “I love my sister, but she can be a real bother sometimes.” “Oh, tell me about it.”

Usage notes: said in reaction to someone else's statement, as in the example

See also: about

tell off someone

to tell someone that their behavior is not acceptable. I was told off by my best friend, and it was a long time before I could forgive her. He's always been obnoxious and it's about time someone told him off.

tell on someone

to give information about bad behavior to someone in authority. None of his friends told on Louie, not even when he slipped live grasshoppers into a mailbox.

tell time

to be able to read the time from a watch or clock. Kate was so proud of herself when she learned to tell time.

See also: time

tell someone where to get off

to let someone know in a direct way that they are wrong or behaving badly. Steve's one of the few people in the office who will tell her where to get off.

tell you what

this is what I think. I'll tell you what, it's a wonder Elise didn't have a heart attack when she got that bill. I tell you what, if you buy now I'll give you an additional 20% off the sales price.

(only) time will tell

it is necessary to wait to find out something. Farmers are experimenting with a new type of corn, and only time will tell whether it's better than the old one.

See also: time

you never can tell

there is no way to know or be certain of something. It sounds like a nice place to live, but you never can tell – we may end up hating it.

there's no telling

See also: can, never