kiss and tell en · VERB
Meanings
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(idiomatic, informal, intransitive) To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.
While I told Joe all about my Beth, and he told me about his Ellen, a student at Northwestern, I did not go into any details about my sex life; I have never liked to kiss and tell, even though I suppose that's what I'm doing in these pages.
2007, Robert Ayres Carter, Nobody yet Knows Who I Am: A Personal History: 1943-1953, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 34:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| kisses and tells | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| kissing and telling | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| kissed and told | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| kissed and told | Tense=Past | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
kiss-and-tell · tell tales out of school
Translations (3)
fi laverrella (betray a confidence by disclosing private information) · cmn 洩密 /泄密 (betray a confidence by disclosing private information) · pl opowiadać publicznie o swoim życiu prywatnym (betray a confidence by disclosing private information)