tell from else
(redirected from tell something from something else)tell (someone or something) from (someone or something else)
1. To be able to discern or distinguish some thing as being distinct and unique compared to something else. It's very difficult to tell the real paintings from the counterfeits, but there are a few things we can look for to be sure. Because of my color blindness, I can't tell shades of red from shades of green. The princess dressed so plainly that you couldn't tell her from an ordinary citizen.
2. To be able to perceive, recognize, or understand something from some piece or amount of evidence. In this usage, the noun or pronoun between "tell" and "from" is sometimes relocated to the end of the clause. What's wrong? I can tell you're upset from the tone in your voice. Well, we can tell from these markings that the herd is moving towards the north.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
tell someone from someone else
and tell something from something elseto distinguish one from another. I can't tell Chuck from Roger. They look so much alike. I can't tell orange from yellow.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
- tell (someone or something) from (someone or something else)
- tell from
- tell from else Go to tell from
- tell the difference between
- tell the difference between (someone or something)
- tell things apart
- tell people or things apart
- tell apart
- tell (someone or something) apart
- tell (someone or something) by (something)