Dictionary

tell tales out of school en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio

Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To reveal confidential or sensitive information; to gossip.
   • [T]he boys laughed and nudged one another, for it was evident that some one told tales out of school, else how could he know of the existence of these inconvenient treasures. 1871, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 11, in Little Men:
   • "But now maybe I'm telling tales out of school," he added, with a laugh. "I shouldn't like to get the little girl into trouble." 1884, Martha Finley, chapter 9, in Elsie at Nantucket:
   • Bush's former Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, told tales out of school, prompting hot denials—and an investigation of whether he disclosed classified information. 2004 April 5, Peter Bailey, TIME, archived from the original on 19 Aug 2012:
   • "He wound up in the emergency room three different times, twice in Connecticut and once down here. The first two were drug ODs. I'm not telling tales out of school, because all that's been reported—exhaustively—in the press." 1997, Stephen King, Desperation, →ISBN, page 94:
   • "Don't blush, Katherine, I am sure Mr. Willoughby won't tell any tales out of school to your old Valleyfield friends." 1907, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Shorty Stories: 1907 to 1908, published 2008, A Millionaire's Proposal:
   • I see then we have both been at school. But did you never, when you were there, hear it said, "Tell no tales out of school?" 1831 April 27, “Court of Aldermen”, in The Times, page 4:
   • Mr. Washington had seen the gentlemen of honour and fashion over their cups, and perhaps thought that all their sayings and doings were not precisely such as would tend to instruct or edify a young man on his entrance into life; but he wisely chose to tell no tales out of school. 1857, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 8, in The Virginians:

Forms

Relateds

kiss and tell

Synonyms

gossip · blab · squeal · talk out of turn

Translations (6)

fi jaaritella sivu suun (reveal confidential or sensitive information) · pl plotkować (reveal confidential or sensitive information) · ro da din casă (reveal confidential or sensitive information) · ru выноси́ть сор из избы́ (reveal confidential or sensitive information) · nl uit de school klappen (reveal confidential or sensitive information) · de aus dem Nähkästchen plaudern (reveal confidential or sensitive information)